A Story to Tell
by f3l1c3
Summary: A rewrite from 'Each Other'. Three siblings venture out with their friends, meeting each other and writing their own stories (I'm bad at summary). KilluaxOC, GonxOC. By the way, I'm the type that writes whenever I feel like it.
1. Prologue

F3l1c3 : I published this story for like one year ago, and when I read it again, I decided to make some change.

Disclaimer : Don't own anything from hunterxhunter, just my oc-s

* * *

Prologue :

** Now, We Depart**

~~~Whale Island~~~

The sky is painted in orange hue, informing the islanders that the day will soon end for the night to take over. A boy and a girl stand a little way from a small boat, accompanied by a redhead woman and her old mother. Embracing each other, Gon gives his aunt a wide grin. The little girl with light blond hair smiles fondly at the scene. She catches the older woman's eyes and grins at her.

"See you soon, grandma," she whispered.

Gon hops into the boat, causing it to rock against the water. After it has settles down somewhat, he grins, holding out his hand for his best friend. Aunt Mito giggles at them. Taking the hand, the girl steps into the boat; thanking him.

"I'll see you soon, Aunt Mito! Grandma!"

"TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!" the little boy and girl shouted simultaneously.

After saying their farewells, the children vigorously wave their hands at the two. Once out of sight, the girl sits down, leaving her friend to say his goodbye to his forest buddies. She winces when one of the less familiar one growls at her. Gon notices her backing away and laughs in amusement. She glares at him in respond before a smirk creeps up to her face.

"Gon~" she sang.

"Hm? What is it, Miru?" he asked, sitting down across from her.

Her smirk return tenfold as she points a finger at his brown eye, or to be more exact, the tiny drop of water accumulated there. The boy cringes, laughing nervously and scratches his cheek, eyes on anywhere but her. The girl twirls her finger in a circle beside her head and, in a sing-song voice, states, "You cried~~"

A barely noticeable pink dusts his cheeks. Attempting to defend himself, he glares at her and in a loud, sure, voice exclaims, "You cried too!"

She wags her finger in front of him.

"I cried after you **cried**."

Defeated, Gon pouts cutely. In return, she giggles and pinches his cheeks.

"Lying is not good, Gon."

After a moment of silence, she lets go, looking at him expectantly. Gon stares back at her puppy eyes that are waiting for him to speak. He huffs, admitting his lost.

"Fine! I cried. There, happy?"

Miru laughs; satisfied at the outcome. She grins, hands fisted above her as she moves them up and down in a cheer.

"Yay! I was right! Gon cried first! I won our bet!"

Embarrassed, the boy shouts louder than her in hope to outdo her loud cheer.

"Miruu! Oh, whatever! Here, we still have a long journey, so we need to eat."

She nods, deciding to stop crushing whatever pride he has left. She stifles a giggle when she remembers how determined and certain he was about the bet he proposed only to lose. Gon hardly lost in any game between them no matter how easy or difficult they are. So when she wins, it always brings her great joy.

"Hai~" she replied, accepting the food in his hand.

~~~Kukuroo Mountain~~~

Green eyes fixed on the road ahead, Killua skates towards the exit, more than eager to be out. He has passed his brothers and mother, and is not going to return any moment. He could feel the rush of adrenaline in him, excitement bubbles in his stomach at the thought of getting out. Several feet before the exit, he remembers the red in his hand.

'_Need to clean this first.'_

"Mirai!"

The wooden door bangs open and in comes a boy with white hair. He is about to take another step to search for the owner of the name when he notices the familiar locks of bluish black hair. His eyes widen in fear at the possibilities of what may happen to his friend.

'_Dear God… Don't tell me someone in the family-?!'_

A soft footstep to his right alerts him. The boy tenses up, his body taking an offensive stance – thinking it is an enemy. But at the sight of his best friend, he relaxes and his rigid shoulders slump in relief. The girl, who has appeared when the loud bang of the door reaches her ears, tilts her head in confusion and curiosity, a hint of concern in her onyx eyes.

"Killua?"

He sighs, shaking his head and telling her it is nothing. Mirai nods, not probing him any further. He takes in her figure. The girl is wearing a kimono. A frown mars his forehead. That will be troublesome, not convenient at all.

"Mirai, come," he said, a hand beckoning her.

Passively, the girl approaches him. Swiftly, he sweeps her off her feet, taking her by surprise. She feels herself being lifted into the air by a pair of arms. Mirai looks at the boy questioningly. Before she could get anything out of him though, he starts running; out of the door and to the gate of Hades of the Zoldyck's lair with his skateboard.

They pass Canary who wishes them a safe journey and Mike who simply growls – specifically at her – and then prowls away. The gate keeper, Zebulo, smiles knowingly at the two children, his hat taken off in a salute.

"Going out, young master?" he asked casually.

Killua nods, carefully placing the girl down onto her feet.

"Get onto the skateboard, Mirai," he said, watching the employee in case he ever plans to stop them like his brother. When he does nothing, the boy opts to watching for any nuisance that could be in his way of escaping the house.

"Good morning, Zebulo," the girl greeted, one hand around Killua's waist and the other clutching the back of his shirt.

The man nods in reply.

"How long will you be out?" he asked Killua.

The boy shrugs.

"Well then, please take care of each other."

"… Aa. See you, Zebulo"

Mirai nods at the man with a smile as they zoom away from the mountain. Killua, without looking back, comments on her outfit, "We'll have to change that, Mirai."

"… Yes?"

"We're heading for the Hunter Exam."

~~~Somewhere in the world~~~

(A.N.: Simply cos I dunno where to place them) 

"Hot…" a boy with long spiky black hair and golden streaks complained as he and his companion travel down the path of the forest.

Kurapika sighs in exasperation, shaking his head in defeat and trying to ignore his continuous complain.

"It's freaking hot…"

Unable to hold the annoyance longer, the older boy glares at his best friend, hoping to shut him up for the rest of their journey.

"Bear with it Kouta. We should reach a village soon," he started.

"How soon is that?" he whined, shielding his dark blue eyes from the glaring sun that decides to shine so faithfully on him on this particular day. The weather is unbearably humid and the heat is worse at noon. Kouta wipes a sweat off his forehead.

"Er… 10 hours," he mumbled.

Kouta stops walking and complaining altogether and stares at him as if he had grown a second head. No, wait, he wouldn't be surprised if he had, considering how he practically drinks in everything he comes across. The blonde Kuruta probably has more brains than a normal human could have in life.

Groaning, he exclaims, "Kurapi! That's still so long!"

He would have laugh nervously if not for the bereft of several letter of his name. The boy whips his head around and glares his best at him. "You forgot the 'ka'. "

Kouta gives a bored, lazy shrug and walks ahead of him. He is, to tell the truth; sort of happy that he has managed to get on his nerves (teasing him is one of his top hobbies). It is not fair if he is the only one suffering from the heat. Humming to himself in satisfaction, Kouta completely let the fact that Kurapika is the one who leads their travel to their destination, slips his mind.

"Kouta…" he almost snarled.

The said-boy is frozen on his steps at the dangerous tone the other used. The blonde smirks, something he rarely does these days. Without even turning around, he could feel the danger coming to him, and the next words that slip his mouth marks his doom.

"We are going to travel without resting at the next village and shorten the trip into three days."

Kurapika knows how much his best friend hates the sunny weather, moreover travels during the noon of it. The boy can't stand under the sun for more than three hours without complaining or feeling slightly faint. Therefore, he always finds where cool shelters are during a travel. His reason is because his skin is tanner than the Kuruta, thus he can't stand the heat as best as the other can.

Turning around robotically, Kouta gapes at him before declaring, "I hate you."

Silence

More silence

Finally, his friend answers, "… To tell you the truth, I am at lost for words."

And he walks pass the younger boy, towards where the ship leaving for the Hunter Exam is – even though said-ship is way too far to be seen from where they are.

A.N. : Writer's block seems to love me so much, you know? Anyway, tell me your thoughts about it. There is not much of a change, though.


	2. Chapter 1

F3l1c3 : "Ok, so, it's the second chapter. Just a little addition. On to the story!"

Disclaimer: Don't own anything from hunter x hunter, just my oc-s 

* * *

Chap. 1 :

** It's Sailing! (**Bonus part : There's No Way I Can Wear This!**)**

~~~Whale Island~~~

"Gon! It's the harbor!" Miru exclaimed.

The two of them are the exact representatives of children who are given free candies or those who have just entered a confectionery store. They are running around the island, faces lighting up at everything they come across. Of course, it is etched in their minds that they have to search for the ship that leaves for Dole Island while exploring the place.

The spiky haired boy's attention is exactly at where she points to: the harbor. Excitement courses through them and they hi-five each other.

They run around the street, passing by a man in blue suit without noticing him at all. A crowd begins to form around two men, and Gon and Miru make for it. They slip pass people before arriving at places where the event taking place, are visible to each of them. Unfortunately, by doing so, they are separated.

And none of them notices the missing of their companion.

As the two watch the game from their positions, the man in blue suit heads to the crowd, and steps forward to challenge the 'hunter'. Not long into the game, Gon picks up a distinct sound of grumbling stomach. Meanwhile, Miru is frantically searching for her partner, too flustered to remember that she should just call out for him.

~~~Somewhere near the exam site~~~

"Killua?" the bluish black-haired girl called out rather timidly.

"Hmm?"

She squirms a bit, looking down at her outfit. Killua frowns in confusion and the girls pouts in return, slightly irritated at his obvious pretense of not understanding. Finally with a sigh, she whispered, "This cloth is uncomfortable…"

"Oh…"

Mirai grumbles, gripping the fabric tightly, wishing to tear it apart.

That's all? His response is a simple 'oh'?! No more?!

Fuming, she shouts at the boy.

"Killua! There's no way I can wear this to the Hunter Exam at all!"

The girl points at the dress she is wearing. It is dark red, with ribbons, laces, frills, a black sash around the waist and is…fluffy from the waist down. The piece of article reaches her knees and the sleeves are puffy, almost covering her fingers. A black shawl completes the look. The owner of the shop, to her dismay, styled her hair into a twin tails, curled at the tips.

The white-haired boy snickers in amusement.

"Why not? I'll carry you from the start until it ends. Simple, isn't it?" he teased, smirking when pink dusts her cheeks.

It turns into a full-blown blush.

"KILLUAA!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The employees pause their activities and watch in curiosity, some rushes over in concern at the practically blood-curling scream while the owner stand the nearest at them, watching with mirth dancing in his eyes. Killua bursts into laughter. Before him, the girl is huffing and puffing in annoyance and embarrassment.

"…"

When the boy doesn't seem like he'd stop laughing soon, she groans.

"… I'll pick the shirt on my own."

In the end, she chooses a black shirt that shows her abdomen with a white tank top underneath, as well as a pair of baggy pants in a gray hue that reaches pass her knees and dark blue boots. Killua secretly purchases the dress and tells the man he will pick it up one of these days. They then head for the exam's location.

~~~Near Whale Island~~~

The heat on the sun mercilessly beats down on him. Kouta sighs for the umpteenth time, trudging grimly beside his Kuruta friend who is walking normally as if he had just started instead of walking for around eleven hours already. Kurapika smirks. Kouta should watch what he says next time.

Soon, they arrive at the harbor where the ship that will bring them closer to the Exam will be leaving. Kouta instantly stops walking, giving up completely.

"Kurapika…" he growls. "You slave driver…"

The boy chuckles in amusement, waving his hand in dismissal.

"Sorry. But it works just fine for us, right? We arrive before the ship sails," he reasoned. "Besides, you shouldn't have called me that. It's your own fault."

The younger one clicks his tongue and gapes when his best friend continues walking to the opposite direction of the harbor. His mouth opens as if to say something before closing and opening again, like a goldfish. Kurapika sighs.

"If you have something to say, say it."

"… Where are you going again?" and he points to where the ships are, "Ship is there…"

The blonde frowns; glancing at the harbor then at Kouta.

"It won't leave until six. I might as well have something to eat. Shouldn't you too, Kou?" he asked.

Said-boy doesn't answer until he is under a shade, shying away from the sunlight.

"No, I'm fine. I'll be sleeping here…" mumbled him, falling down onto his back onto dear earth, his loose gray shirt flutters slightly before settling onto his torso again.

The blond shrugs.

"Very well. See you in the ship."

He turns around and is about to walk away when his friend's voice reaches his ear again. His next sentence manages to perfectly grate his nerves.

"Kurapi, before you head for the ship, stop by here for awhile. I might need an alarm clock, you know?" he teased with a smirk plastered on his face.

His friend cranes his head back with a hard glare and calmly proposes a suggestion, "You can miss the ship and participate next time then, Kouta."

"You are so cruel, Kurapi~~"

"If you would please shut up and turn yourself to a 'longer-than-eternal' rest."

Of course, he didn't really mean it.

**abc**

Sometime after his nap, which is quite long, Kouta is awakened by the smell of fried fish. He grumbles, annoyed at being woken up. The smell that wafts through the air enters his nostrils and immediately, his stomach follows his grumbling. He curses.

(A.N.: Guess who is eating fish?)

"Damn. Money is all with Kurapi."

Regretting his decision to rest, Kouta decides that there is nothing he can do to quell his hunger and sluggishly heads for the ship. If he has no money, the only way to counterattack hunger is sleep. And so, he spends hours snoring away again.

It has definitely slips his mind that his companion could be searching for him at that shade later on.

**abc**

"Huwaa!"

A few minutes ago, the blond Kuruta met another blonde. She was, and is, sobbing furiously. Being kind of sympathetic, he has then approached her, planning to ask her what her problem was. But the moment he did, he found himself unable to do anything. The girl is not even aware of his presence until now. All she has done is cry as if there were no one there. Kurapika feels like an idiot for being there, talking to himself. Worse, he feels like he is the bad guy here, making a girl cry like this.

He sighs. Maybe he should leave…

"… Who, who are you?" a girlish voice asked from beside him, hiccupping.

'_Ah… She has calmed down.'_

"I'm Kurapika, and you?"

"…Mi," she hiccupped, "Miru…"

The boy tries his best to look like he means no harm – even though he really means no harm – so as not to scare the poor girl away. Miru hiccups, staring at him expectantly as if he were a savior. The boy sweatdrops, asking her, "Why were you crying?"

"…"

Silence

And she bursts into tears again.

… Poor Kurapika.

**abc**

"I am sorry…" the blond girl apologized profusely, lowering her head as low as possible in shame and guilt. She sneaks a glance at the boy.

He smiles awkwardly.

"It's ok, Miru," assured him.

Abruptly, she beams. "Thank you."

At the bright smile, he pauses, looking somewhat bewildered. He stares at her, mouth slightly agape, while she stares back with a small smile, confused.

'_Somehow… Doesn't she look like someone I know?'_

He observes the girl's feature. She has straight pale blond hair, tan skin, deep blue eyes that are too familiar, and is tiny. When he wants to ask her a question, a dog passes by them and out of the blue, growls menacingly at her. It begins barking like there is no tomorrow. Kurapika sweatdrops. This is all too familiar. A memory from his childhood then flashes through his mind.

_He and Kouta were barely seven back then, and in that sunny morning, he had managed to drag the lazy boy out of the house and into the forest. The Kuruta was running around, brimming with excitement and energy while the other looked as good as dead._

_When they arrived at a clearing, Kouta suggested that they rested under a big, leafy tree, threatening him that he would return home if they didn't. And since Pairo was sick that day, he would be alone if that ever happened, so the blonde consented. They sat down under the tree, the dark haired boy lying on his back._

_Comfortable silence hang in the air as the two did their own things._

_A rustle of the bush beside him alerted Kurapika and he poked his friend's arm, pointing to the wildly rustling bush. Kouta sat up, preparing to run just like his best friend. A fluffy white creature reveals itself not too long after, barking in a friendly manner._

_Kurapika sighed in relief and plopped down onto the lush green grass._

_Contrary to him, Kouta was string wide-eyed at the puppy, his shoulder tensed._

"_Kou?"_

_The little one noticed his presence and immediately growled at him. Without warning, it leapt forward. Kouta jumped, and with speed that neither of them had ever thought he had, the boy climbed the tree, stopping at a rather high, sturdy branch. Kurapika watched, confusion clearly written all over his face._

"_Kurapika!" he shouted, "get it away!"_

"_?"_

_After a moment of silence, he tilted his head and with innocence comparable to a baby's -which irritated the other boy to no end - Kurapika asked, "… Why?"_

"_... JUST GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"_

_Later on, he found out that Kouta did not and would never get along with animals, especially dogs. For some reason, they just started attacking when they saw him._

"… _So you exude a kind of pheromone or something?" Kurapika had asked at the end of that day._

…

_.._

_._

_With a dangerous glare, he ordered, "Shut up."_

"Er… So, Miru?" he called the girl, who, by now, is clinging to his neck due to her fear for dogs, almost chocking him.

He shoo-s the dog away.

"Y, yes?"

"You are searching for your friend, right?" he ascertained, gently prying the girl's hand away from his neck.

She nods, apologizing for her behavior again.

"And you are also searching for the ship that leaves for Dole?"

The girl nods again.

"I know the ship."

Her eyes widen.

**abc**

Miru is in tears for the second or third time today. Kurapika watches from afar with a sigh, rubbing his temple. After telling her about the ship, Miru decided to follow him, having faith in her best friend that he would find both her and the ship, but now…the ship is about to set sail.

"GOOON!" she cried out.

… And her best friend is nowhere in sight!

Kurapika, from his previous experience, assumes that she won't even hear him if he talks now. He decided to leave her alone. Besides, he has another thing to worry about: Kouta was not in the harbor. And neither can he find him here.

He frowns. Where could that lazy boy be?

'_Honestly, where is he?'_

He glances at the plastic of food he has been holding until now. If Kouta doesn't show up soon, or if he can't find him, this food will be finished by him.

**abc**

"What if Gon doesn't make it? No, no, he'll make it! But…but, what if, he doesn't… No! Gon will make it! He will make it! But he's not here yet… and the ship is…is…What if he doesn't make it here? No, no, no! I mustn't think like that. Gon will definitely make it in time, but, but what if he definitely won't make it in time? What if…what if…" Miru kept on mumbling. A look of horror and concern twisted her small face.

Frustrated, she cried out loudly, tears slipping down her cheek. People looked at her strangely, to which she paid no attention.

The whole passengers watch in curiosity, most of their expressions are that of amusement. Some sailors try to calm down the girl, but they come at the wrong time – when she is flailing her hands around in panic. One is then slapped to the farthest end of the ship – anywhere you wish it to be. Since then, a silence agreement passes among them: leave the girl alone.

When the ship begins to move and the sails are lowered down, the girl is more crushed than ever. She doesn't even hear the people mocking two late passengers and the captain telling them to join next year. She continues sitting there, wallowing in despair, thinking that she should have just gone to search for him instead of coming here. She's hardly made a right decision since younger, but this time is the worst.

A spiky haired boy and a man in blue suit arrive at the ship in their own way. The man falls face first onto the wooden surface of the ship while Gon lands in a less painful way. He grins at the other when he tells him not to call him mister.

"…Call me Leorio-san.…" he mumbled.

Leorio sits up and takes notice of the wailing way in front of them. He raises an eyebrow and points at a blond girl. Gon follows his finger and his face lights up at the recognizable wails and features. He jogs over to the girl, shouting her name.

The man follows, not having much to do.

"MIRU!"

Instantly, the crying stops and turns into sobs in hiccups. She turns around to meet the caller, but the tears hinder her view. Gon tackles the little girl onto the floor, cutting her breath.

"W, who?" she choked out.

The boy sits up, freeing her off his weight and grins goofily at her.

"Come on! I was gone for awhile and you forgot me?"

"… Gon?" she asked uncertainly.

He grins. "Yes?"

She stares at him blankly, sitting up.

"It's not a dream, right?"

Gon shakes his head, answering her question. Miru grins happily, relief washing over her. Leorio sits quietly – being a good audience – trying to understand the situation, which leaves him dazed.

'_I still…think it is a dream.'_

Miru places her finger under her chin, tilting her head up. An idea crosses her mind and she hits her fist on her palm, nodding to herself. Gon watches her.

'_This should proof it's not a dream.'_

Leorio is snapped out of his thinking by a painful pinch on his cheek. He yelps and glares at the girl whose hand is retreating. She smiles happily.

"It's not a dream!"

Gon laughs heartily at her antics, reaching out for her own cheeks and stretches them.

"You pinch yourself and see, Miru."

**abc**

Meanwhile, with Kurapika…

'_Where could Kouta be?'_

The ship slowly leaves the harbor and he feels a slight panic as he has yet to find his friend on the ship. He takes a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. The other boy should be fine. As one of his best friend, Kurapika should have more faith in him.

But then…

He remembers the time when they were younger and pales. No, he can't have that much faith in him if he thinks thoroughly and logically.

'_No, I can't trust him that much… It is simply…impossible.'_

With that thought, he concludes that Kouta is not boarding the ship at all. This idea has a higher probability than the opposite. Mentally, he groans, feeling his head thump painfully. The thing that his best friend could do…

Maybe he should rest for awhile and tries to search again later.

'_Ah, yes, I should rest for now.'_

….

…

..

.

Somewhere in the ship, on a hammock hidden from views – wherever this dark place is – a young boy is sleeping peacefully, not paying any heed to his grumbling stomach, and oblivious to his best friend's worry as well as the world.

He is forever peaceful…

* * *

A.N.: "Ah, I realized this one's the longest I have written, huh? So? The usual, tell me what to think and give me your comment! Good day!"


	3. Omake

F3l1c3 : "Decided to write some of the characters past down. Just for fun~~ Btw, this is not a chapter or continuation from the last. Simply an Extra."

Disclaimer : Don't own anything from hunterxhunter, just my oc-s

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Extra :

*****Reason Why He Can't Trust Him*****

***abc***

No.1

"Kouta! Hurry up!" Pairo shouted to his best friend who was lagging behind the group.

Said-boy scratched his head, messing his black-golden hair as he quickened his pace, a yawn escaped his lips. Kurapika grinned teasingly at him. He had awoken Kouta early that day too, and the youngest among them three was not happy at all. Since waking up, his face had this permanent scowl on it, and he had yet to speak a word. During breakfast he snatched Kurapika's food and glared at the blonde when he was about to complain. When Pairo arrived at their house, he was not surprised when the blonde said he was still hungry.

(A.N.: Kouta lived at the blond Kuruta's house)

"Are you still angry?" the brunette asked.

"Hah?" Kouta half-snapped, half-inquired.

Pairo chuckles in amusement, not frightened by his cold glare or his deep scowl, unlike Kurapika. He looked at the boy with a casual smile.

"I suggested the picnic, you know?" he said with a slight hint of sadness.

Understanding dawned on the sleepy boy. Pairo's body was weak, and he couldn't play with them all the time, so when he got the chance to go out of the house, he wanted to spend the time with his best friends, but since his body was still weak, his parents refused to let him unless they came too. In the end, it became a picnic. Kouta's scowl diminished and his glare softened in apology. Kurapika smiled at the action. As lazy and rude the boy was, he was still kind at heart.

"Sorry…"

Pairo smiled.

"It's ok. So," he paused, "what do you say we have a race?"

The adults' eyes widened and they panicked.

"Don't worry. A jog is not bad for the body, " Kouta reasoned.

Eventually, they allowed the kids. Well, even without their permissions, Kouta, Kurapika and Pairo would still race anyway. One of the two healthier boys would slow down to watch over the brunette and made sure he was fine until the finish. It was always like that when a race was proposed. And so, they started running.

"Damn! Kouta won again…" Kurapika complained, slumped onto the ground, panting.

Pairo chuckled beside him, panting too.

When the adults arrived, they help spread the carpet and settling the food on it. The picnic went well. The kids played, chasing each other through the field while the parents watched while talking about various topics. When the time was pretty late, they decided to return home. Of course, that went well too. There was just one problem: there was one person not in the group.

Kouta, feeling sleepy after filling his stomach with food, was lying under a tree on his back, his dark blue eyes shut tightly and his breathing slow. Yep, he was asleep.

…

..

.

Kurapika laughed along Pairo as they talked about how Kouta was hated by animals.

"Right? Hey, Kou! Why do you think dogs hate you…most?" the children stopped when they finally realized it. The adults followed.

Kouta was the quiet type, except when he was throwing sarcastic remarks around, as his presence was low once he stopped talking, so it was no brainer that they would think he was already in the group, just not talking because he was sleepy or something. But, since the talk about himself and animals started, there had been no angry shouts or growls from the gossiped, and slowly they noticed how quiet he was. Too quiet…

"Where is Kouta?" Pairo asked, worried.

"Oh… shit!"

Kurapika's mother would have reprimanded him if not for the situation. Before long, the group started searching for the boy. By night, they were tired, and Pairo had been told to return earlier to rest. Soon, Kurapika and his family too decided they would search again the next day. The blonde thought that with all the worry, there was no way he could sleep. But he was proved wrong when his eyes immediately closed as soon as he hit the bed. The blonde was so tired he instantly fell asleep.

The next day, early in the morning, to their utter surprise, the boy was in front of their door, hair messy and shirt stained by dirt and grass from sleeping on the ground. He was about to knock when the door opened, revealing a man, a woman and a boy who were about to seek him again. Kouta was forced to listen to Kurapika's mother and father's lecture for half the day. After that incident, everything returned to normal. 

***abc***

No.2

Kouta had bad habits. The boy spoke rudely right in front of you, he ate without a care for impression, he loved to sleep and sleepwalked, he was lazy, he was reckless, he was more curious about how ants communicated than how he managed to climb a tree so high while observing the insects. He also had a short attention span, enjoyed blackmailing people and gave the food he disliked to others secretly, saying he was feeling generous at that moment.

But there were two that caused him trouble so far: sleep and sleepwalking.

Once, the boy spent an hour looking at a huge tree when they were playing hide and seek. He stood there, doing nothing but looking at it – of course he breathed while doing so – as no one could find him when he did not speak for his presence was at its lowest. Kurapika passed him twice before finding him on that spot under that tree.

"Kou?" he called.

The black-with-golden-stripes-haired boy turned at his name.

"Huh?"

"… What are you doing here?"

He blinked.

"Looking at the tree."

At his answer, Kurapika managed a confused sound. He decided not to ask him more. The game ended soon and they returned home. The next two days, the boy was not in his bed, rather, in a hospital's bed. Kurapika snickered at his state. After being lectured by his parents, Kouta lay there with a scowl.

"So, that was why you were looking at the tree…" he started.

"Shut up. I was just wondering how it would be –"

Kurapika cut him.

"How it would be sleeping on a slippery, but cool, cozy looking tree?"

He clicked his tongue, turning away with a 'humph'.

"So?" he provoked the boy. "How did it feel that you managed to climb the slippery tree, slept there for an hour, before falling down and kissing the earth?"

Kouta growled menacingly.

Kurapika laughed.

"Careful, Kou. Can't move too much when one of your feet is high up there, you know?"

"When I am out of this place, I'm giving you a nice punch first thing."

He burst into another fit of laughter. 

***abc***

No.3

Laughter echoed throughout the room as the boy played some games Pairo had invented. Kouta was smirking while Kurapika was glaring at his two best friends and the card in his hand. He pouted.

Of all cards, why this one?

Said-card had pink color, with a girlish picture on it, where a heart was drawn in the middle of it, bubbles all around.

"The elder loves you romantically!" Kouta shouted, laughing hysterically.

Kurapika's face scrunched up in disgust at the thought that that old man loved him. He felt the breakfast he ate threatened to come out.

That's right. They were playing prediction, just for fun. Pairo saw one woman in their neighborhood predicted people's fortune with cards. Intrigued, he decided to draw out his own cards and brought it to the two boys. They were having fun, because, well, the prediction gone wrong most of the time. Like when Kouta suggested seeing how the elder felt toward Kurapika.

The two boys couldn't stop laughing at the victim of the game. Kouta was rolling on the floor, clutching his stomach in pain. Pairo was hunched over in laughter, tears on his eyes. Kurapika growled. Damn.

"Kouta! If you don't stop laughing, I'll curse you!" he attempted pathetically.

Between his laughter, the youngest managed to ask how.

"Eh… Er… well…" he stammered before an idea crossed him. "You are going to sleepwalk to the elder's house and sleep with him on his bed!"

At this, Kouta stopped laughing, while Pairo's escalated.

"Bleah! That old man is smelly!"

(A.N.: I made this up. Dunno if he's really so)

Kurapika smirked.

"Now you know how I felt."

After that, the game continued. The kids were laughing their hearts out as they played it. And by sun set, Pairo returned to his home. After dinner, Kurapika and Kouta brushed their teeth and not long later, went to sleep. The Kuruta didn't know how true his curse was going to be…

At midnight, Kouta's one habit relapsed.

He sleepwalked out of their room and out of the house. The boy stumbled as he walked in a slow pace like a little child. And when he his hand touched what seemed like a door, he opened it and entered.

"Mother! Kou's gone again!" shouted the blonde the next morning.

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief and she ran to inform her husband. They searched for the boy again.

….

…

..

.

The elder of the village woke up that morning, his body sore and stiff. When he was more awake and able to distinguish reality and dream, he realized he was sleeping on the floor. He frowned. What was he doing here? How did he get here? On the floor? Wasn't he sleeping on the bed yesterday?

Another voice in the room brought him to alert.

Kouta groaned, waking up from the sunlight that hit him right on his eyelids. The boy sat up, rubbing his eyes and looked at the room with a raised eyebrow. The sunlight hit him? How was that possible? He should be sleeping the furthest from the window! Kurapika was the one who slept the nearest to it. So how?

He looked around before his gaze finally landed on the familiar old man. Instantly, he turned into stone.

'_A dream. Yeah, a dream…'_

"Old man," he started, "pinch yourself will you?"

The elder glared at him and stood up, hitting the boy on his head painfully. Kouta winced, rubbing the smarting bruise.

"The hell, old man?!"

He smirked.

"Painful, right? So, it's no dream. Now then, Kouta, why are you in my bed, while I am on the floor?" he demanded.

Kouta scoffed.

"Kurapika's stupid curse…"

"… Hah?"

*****Reason Why He Can't Trust Him*****

****************End****************

* * *

A.N.: "I enjoyed writing this one. I was laughing my ass off when I wrote and re-read it. HAHAHA!"


	4. Chapter 2

F3l1c3 : "This chapter just explains some things about my oc-s, and then bits and pieces of Killua's worry… And before I move on, to Pasta-kun who reviewed, thanks a lot!"

Disclaimer: I don't own hunter x hunter. Just my oc-s.

* * *

Chap. 2 :

**Let's Retrace Before The Storm**

~~~Location for the 1st Phase of Exam~~~

Bluish black locks tumble down her shoulder and she tilts her head at nothing. Killua stares at the girl quizzically, wondering what is in her mind but not voicing his thought out. Mirai's gaze is on the crown in front of her, but her attention is elsewhere. She sniffs the air loudly, perking up slightly. Her eyes wander around the room and land on the last participant that entered this place two minutes ago. Killua watches her patiently.

"A storm…" she murmured.

Killua blinks; a chuckle escapes his lips at the randomness. The boy's hand reaches for her head and ruffles her hair, making a mess of blue and black on top of Mirai's head. The girl looks at him with a raised eyebrow, not understanding the reason for his amusement. When he doesn't seem like he'd stop anytime soon, she frowns. Grumbling, she grabs his hand in hers and moving it away. Her tiny hands then begin working on combing through the unappreciated mess.

"Sorry," Killua apologized, still grinning toothily.

Pouting, she retorts, "Not accepted."

The boy's laughter resumes, albeit louder. Slightly annoyed, Mirai looks away in a huff, waiting for him to stop. She mentally sighs, wondering how long he will keep on laughing. When he finally stops, it is ten minutes later. She could never understand why he was even laughing in the first place. Tucking her legs into her chests, the girl rests her head on her folded arms. Killua leans into the wall, silent reigns over them for a minute before the boy speaks up.

"Still no forgiveness, Mii?"

"Wha-?!" she blurted out, startled by the nickname. "Don't call me that!"

The boy sticks out his lower lip. "You were fine when we were younger…"

"We were five back then, Killua!"

"… You even called me Llu…"

Blushing five shades of red, the girl stammers around, telling him to stop the reminiscing. Killua, enjoying himself with the small talk, doesn't listen to the girl and continues speaking, eyes looking ahead. Inside, he is dying from laughter the longer it goes and a part of him is glad that this conversation is going on instead of ending.

"… And then you hugged me like we hadn't met for a year when I was just gone for a day or two…" he mumbled.

"I… I… well, that…"

"You were so happy when I gave you chocolate for your birthday and said I lo…" he found himself stopping at the next word.

'_Ah, damn. Why did I recollect this one?'_

Fortunately for the boy, Mirai finally reaches her limit and snaps at him, "I… I SAID STOP REMINISCING!"

Killua jumps at her abruptness and backs away when she dons a dangerous, 'don't-mess-with-me' face. He gulps, words caught in his throat. Mirai pants a little and slumps onto the dirty wall, exhaling loudly. Her cheeks are flushed, from both embarrassment and anger. With one hand covering one side of her face, she breaths out, "Honestly, Killua. Why are you so mean today?'

"… Sorry."

Shaking her head, she sighs.

"What's the matter, Killua?"

He looks at the ground, sitting cross-legged. Mirai watches him with a hint of concern in her eyes. The boy looks like a child who has just lost his favorite toy, or in this case, it is more like, a child whose chocolate was eaten by some big fat meanie. No offense to Milluki.

"Killua?"

He takes in a deep breath before looking at her with a smirk. "Worried?"

A nerve pops in her forehead and she glares at him. "Yes, but now? No."

Killua laughs; a memory from one day ago replaying in his head.

"… _Killua?"_

"_Hm?"_

_The two children were in a small café, with two cups of warm chocolate on the table in front of them. One was his, the other's hers. Killua looks up from his drink to the seemingly dazed girl._

"… _I have…siblings."_

_He was glad he was not drinking the moment she said that, because surely, he would spit out whatever was in his mouth. Paying his full attention to her, he nodded, telling the girl to continue with an explanation. Mirai, though not aware of his nodding his head, didn't stop speaking._

"_Well, I said I have siblings, but… it's just a guess, I supposed. I have been having flashback… Recurring dreams, you may say. There's a girl…with blond hair and a…boy. I'm not sure since the hair is long and messy. Kind of like yours, just longer," she told him._

_The girl sipped her warm drink, breathing in the sweet scent of chocolate. Killua stared at her. Those black eyes looked doubtful, but not about what she had just told him. He leaned in, head resting on the palm of his hand placed on the table. His assumption about what she was doubtful of was just an assumption. But maybe…_

"_Mirai," he called._

"_Mm-hmm?" she acknowledge, sipping down the last of her hot chocolate and settling the cup on the table gently._

"… _Do you want to search for them?"_

_Her head whipped up to look at him._

_Ah… He was right. That was what she had doubted. She wanted to search for her siblings, but she didn't know if she should._

"_Are you sure?" she asked him. "I…want to search for them. But I want to do it with Killua. But you want to…"_

_He shrugged._

"_I don't mind. My plan right now is to run away from the family and not going back. For now, I am going to conquer the Hunter Exam. Besides, who knows? You could find them there. There's always a possibility, yes?" he asked._

_She stared at him, unmoving before the corner of her lips turned up in a smile. The girl beamed at him. "Yes!"_

_He smiled back._

"_Killua…"_

"_What's it?"_

"… _Thank you."_

_Mirai gave him her sincerest smile. No façade or mask behind it. The boy found himself staring at her dark onyx eyes, his smile widened._

_She didn't want to part with him because of her selfishness to find her siblings. Therefore, when he indirectly told her that he would come along, she had never felt more relief that she had in her life._

_Killua on the other hand was feeling all tingly and strange. There were…what he had heard from people…butterflies in his stomach, and it lifted his spirit seeing how genuinely happy the girl before him was. Before his mind could process it, the words slipped out of his mouth in a whisper, "I won't leave, Mirai."_

_Why did he say that, he wondered?_

And now, after saying that he would accompany her, he found himself doubting his decision. Stealing a glance at his partner, he gulps.

After finding her siblings… Will she want him to leave?

What will happen to their friendship when she finds a family that is more important to her compare to him?

Shaking his head, he dismisses the thought.

Even if she wants him to leave, he won't. He will still insist on staying.

Yes, he'll do just that.

"… By the way," he began, "what storm were you talking about?"

Mirai gives him a side-glance. "Humph. Where the last man came from, there is a storm coming."

~~~The Ship to Dole~~~

Kouta is lying on the hammock, not bothering to go searching for Kurapika yet. He feels the ship rocks the canvas and he knows it is sailing. The two-color-haired boy sighs, staring at the ceiling above him, the grumbling of his stomach has finally quieted down somewhat. His hand pinches the bridge of his nose at the thought that crosses his mind.

After the Hunter Exam, what will he do?

"_Kurapika, don't misunderstand," Kouta started._

_The blonde looked at him with his blank eyes._

"_I didn't come to help you with your revenge," he reminded in a low-voice. It echoed in the practically empty room where they were settled for the night. Kurapika turned his head away in a small huff._

"_You don't need to remind me of that. I have known since long ago that you are too kind to agree with me, to agree with revenge. But know this Kouta," he paused, "no matter what you say; I am set on this path."_

_Kouta's gaze on him narrowed and turned fierce._

"_I won't say anything. Not anymore."_

"… _Kurapika, the you right now, is blind."_

_The Kuruta snarled at him._

"_I won't apologize for that. It is the truth, a fact. Anyway, what I wanted to say is, don't blame anyone or me, if you find yourself alone in that path. The reason I have chosen to travel with you to the Hunter Exam is to find my siblings, and then my parents. I have no other reason." _

_Kurapika stiffly nodded his head. "I know."_

"… _As that, is also the path I have set myself on."_

'_Kurapika,' he thought, 'are you even living right now?'_

Another sigh escapes the tan boy's lips. He is not against his other mission: getting back the clan's eyes, but rather the one where he could lose himself. He scoffs. Could? No. Kurapika's focus on hunting down the Phantom Troupe is definitely going to make him lose himself. He could never get used to taking a life. His day after his first kill…

It is going to be hell.

"And yet… he is too stubborn to listen to me."

Once the exam ends, they are going to go their own ways. Kouta is going to search until he finds all of his family. Kurapika is going to hunt down the group and get back his people's eyes. When he has finally taken a life out of revenge, and if no one is by his side by then, what will happen to the blonde? Kouta knows he is stubborn, like he has said. There is no way he'd lose himself so quickly. But for someone like him, no matter how strong his mentality is, won't the pressure he puts on himself just get worse and worse?

And when that friend of his has finished his revenge…

What will he do?

What will become of him?

He sighs again.

"Kurapika," he said to no-one, "are you even living?"

~~~The Ship to Dole~~~

While Gon is fishing – his favorite activity or pastime, Miru sits beside him, watching the horizon and the few seagulls flying. She glances at Gon, weighing something in her mind. The girl bites her lip.

"Gon."

"Hm?"

The boy has noticed her strangely quiet behavior for awhile, and has been waiting patiently for the girl to start speaking as well as gave her some time for herself.

"Before we left, grandma gave me a letter…"

At that, he perks up, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes before they both look ahead – at the horizon – again.

Miru takes the silence as 'continue'.

"It's a letter from my mother."

Gon's jaw almost drops as he stares wide-eyed at his best friend since childhood. His grip on his fishing rod loosens and it will probably drop if Miru doesn't catch it with a surprise yelp and corrects the position, tightening Gon's clutch on it. The boy mutters a 'thank you' at her to which she replies with a grin, flicking his forehead playfully.

"Careful, Gon. That's your dad's."

He grins, one hand scratching his head.

"Yeah. I'll remember that."

Silence lapses again. None of them speaks for another minute. They simply fix their gaze on their previous interest – the horizon. It feels like they are going in circle. Grumbling, Gon turns to the girl with a determined look on his face. Miru, noticing his stare, turns around and sweatdrops at the narrowed eyes he is giving her.

She laughs nervously, understanding that Gon wants to know everything and doesn't appreciate the silence they returned to.

"Sorry, Gon."

"No problem. I'll forgive you if you tell me everything," he paused, leaning in with a sudden toothy grin, "**now.** "

She sweatdrops again.

"Ok, I'll tell you everything."

He nods and returns to his normal position, ears open to listen.

_An old woman took out an envelope from her cupboard. Miru stood behind quietly, waiting for the other to start speaking first. Gon's grandma turned around to meet her, a seemingly-permanent smile on her face. She then handed the letter to the girl, who accepted it with interest in her dark blue eyes. She turned it around, back and forth, inspecting the yellowing envelope._

"_Who's this from, grandma?" she asked._

_The elder woman tilted her head and she answered. "Hm? Your mother."_

_Miru's eyes bulged out at the mention of her mother, her breath hitched in surprise. She looked at her, silently begging her to explain._

"_Your parents are still alive, I believe. Mito lied to keep you from worrying about them. But when they came here to place you under our care, your mother and father were still alive. She gave me this letter, telling me to pass it to you at the right time. I feel like now should be the time."_

_She watched the little girl's eyes watered slightly._

_Miru sobbed. "They…are alive?"_

_Grandma nodded her head in confirmation._

_The girl's lips parted in a small smile. Before the old woman knew it, she was being hugged by the younger one who had burst into tears. The words 'they are alive' were repeated over and over again. With a grateful smile, Miru pulled away, bowing down in respect to Gon's grandmother._

"_Thank you, grandma."_

"_You're welcome, Miru. Now, I'm sure you want to read the letter?"_

"_Yes!"_

"_Go ahead then. I'll be here if you want to ask me questions about them. I'll answer if I know."_

"_Thank you, grandma!"_

_And with that, she was off into the room she and Gon shared. The girl opened the door silently. Since it was pretty late, she was certain that her best friend had fallen asleep. She crept in, careful not to wake the other one. With a little help from the moonlight, she opened the enveloped and pulled out the paper inside gingerly, reading the content._

_Her eyes stopped at one part._

"_I have…siblings?"_

"You have siblings?!" Gon exclaimed just as surprised as she had been before.

Miru nods. "Uh-huh. I was surprised too."

An awed look crosses his face as he imagines what kind of people is her family.

The girl continues. "Mom said I have a big brother, two years older than me and a twin sister, two minutes older. On the letter, it was written that the reason she wrote me a letter, was because she was sure I would forget about them already, since I was four back then."

Gon listens attentively. "A twin… Cool!"

Miru grins. "Right?"

The spiky haired boy whips his head at her. "So, will you search for them?"

"…"

"Miru?"

She gulps, looking down and twiddling her fingers.

"I want to… But I promised you that I'll help searching for your father…"

The blonde sneaks a glance at him. Gon's mouth is in an 'o' shape, seeing what she meant and what has been bothering her to not tell him this immediately. He has a thinking gesture for awhile before he nods to himself.

"That's fine!" said the boy.

"Eh?"

"We can search for your family and my father at the same time!"

Miru, considering his suggestion, beams at him. Of course! Why didn't she think of this before? It's such a simple matter. Raising her fist, Mirai then agrees to him. Gon's grin returns to his face and he bumps her fist with his own.

**Letter's content**

"_Dear Rachell,_

_Hey, I'm your mother. So… I'm guessing you're doing fine with that Ging's son? Ah, you better be or I'm going to hunt down that man and gouge his eye… er… forget about it._

_Anyway, I'm writing this because I'm sure you have forgotten about us. Race, you have a sister; a twin actually, though you have different eye color and hair. She is older than you by two minutes. Just two and no more. And then, you have a big brother too. He is older than you by two years. As for their names, I'm not going to tell you that. Since you live with that crazy man's son, I am sure, by now, you are just as crazy as his son is. So, find their names on your own._

_Once you find them, find us.  
_

_Best of luck,_

_Your mother._

_(Note: This letter will burn itself in five, four, three, two…)"_

Needless to say, it really burnt and she barely managed to suppress the scream that threatened to escape. Thankfully, Gon slept through it.

'_Although…' _Miru thought to herself, _'why was it addressed to Rachell. Who's Rachell? Grandma said it was for me. So, Rachell is me?'_

…

_.._

_._

'_Mom… Couldn't you at least explain at least the name 'Rachell'? I'm getting a headache here…'_

* * *

A.N.: "Ta-da! Finish! As usual, gimme your opinion! (Imagine a five-year-old asking for candies…) HAHAHAHA! The name Rachell will be explained in the lateer, lateeer, future. Haha."


	5. Chapter 3

F3l1c3 : "Here comes the third one. The siblings meet. Gon and his new friends have a sudden realization and seawater comes into the scene! (Reunion scene is not exactly my forte...)"

Disclaimer: I don't own hunter x hunter. Just my oc-s.

* * *

Chap. 3 :

**When the Time is Right**

~~~The Ship to Dole~~~

A loud rumble could be heard from inside the ship. It sways dangerously, like a man past his drunken limit. The rough seawater and the wind throw it off-balance, flipping it in the air like some toys. The people inside scream bloody-murder, the ride drives them nuts and sends them to a traumatic state. Leorio eyes the yellow puddle in disgust. How many people have thrown up?

As the smell reaches his nostrils again, the man thought back to the apple he has eaten. He gulps, swallowing the bile that wish to be set free. Gon and Miru stop their small game when the storm has finally calmed down and opt to help the sick men instead. Kurapika doesn't move from his place, resting on the hammock with a book covering his face, his search for his companion was brought to a halt when the storm started.

"Take this. It should help," Gon said, offering a man the herb medicine he has been carrying around in his backpack since leaving the island.

"Here, water," the blond girl chirped, handing two men glasses of water she has gotten from some sailors in the ship.

The captain enters the room, his eyes observing the supposed-to-be-candidate for the Hunter Exam. He scoffs. Candidates? Participants? They are more like children separated from their parents in their messy state. They can't even a storm, moreover a test where their lives are at stakes. He looks around again and finds some who actually fit the word 'candidates'.

"Excuse me…" a voice said from behind him.

The man side-steps and let a boy with black hair and golden strands walks into the room. He watches as he trudges over to an occupied hammock. He looks like he has just woken up, or is he? Sleepily, the boy grabs a part of the hammock and moves it not too gently. Kurapika wakes up, moving his book away.

"Kurapi…" he almost whined, "Lemme sleep 'ere."

The Kuruta immediately sits up at the familiarity the voice holds. He stares at the other boy with disbelief and relief mixed together.

"Kou!" his voice was drowned in by the groaning of the sick men. "Where have you been?"

Hopping down from the hammock, he lets the other have his place. Simply because he knows that if he doesn't, Kouta won't hesitate to drop onto the floor and snore away, earning a bump on his head or some minor injuries which he won't pay attention to until he awakens later, and it could be ten hours then.

"Some..." he yawns, climbing onto it. "Somewhere in the ship, on a hammock too. When I woke up, I was somehow in the control room… Got kicked out…" slurred the boy.

At his respond, Kurapika chuckles in amusement. Kouta shoots him a glare, lying down on his back. "Shut up, Kurapi… Going back to sleep."

He shakes his head in disbelief and sits down. Then, as suddenly as Kouta appeared, annoyance turns up in him. It changes into anger when he realizes what his best friend had put him through before this. The blonde was practically a headless chicken when searching for him and what? The boy he was searching for was sleeping in the ship, snoring away in obliviousness?

He groans.

Never is he going to worry too much over this boy again.

*****abc*****

Kouta is woken up by a rough shaking. He grumbles, sending the person who woke him up a pissed look. He blinks when he sees Kurapika.

"What is it?"

He tilts his head over to the captain before telling him to get up. Kouta begrudgingly obeys. Looking around the room, he realizes there are only him, Kurapika, a man who looks to be in his thirties, a little boy and a little girl, as well as the captain, of course. Sighing, he stands up, walking behind his best friend towards the small group.

Kouta tunes out whatever the captain is saying. When the boy happily and eagerly tells his name to the captain, he merely follows. The name 'Miru' catches his attention.

When Gon tells him the reason he wants to become a hunter, the black-golden-haired boy is kind of surprise that he is actually listening to the conversation that is going on among them.

He waits until it is the girl's turn, eyes not moving from the plank of woods.

"I'm helping Gon to find his father, and he's helping me to find my brother and sister," answered her with a wide smile.

That confirms his suspicion, and he fights the urge to smile, grin, laugh and sigh at once, only allowing the barest of smile creeps up to his face. Kurapika notices this and raises an eyebrow in question, however voices nothing out.

"What about you, boy?" the captain asked him.

Kouta shrugs.

"I am setting my sights on what I could get from the Exam. I don't have any other plan yet."

Kurapika silently glares at him, not liking that his friend easily gives away his motive to some strangers. Said-boy shrugs, waving a hand in dismissal.

Somehow, as he thinks about how to tell Miru that he is her brother, two of them ends up having a fight, and somehow, he is in this condition.

Miru blinks and he blinks too. What is he doing again? Unconsciously, he has grabbed her hand when she was about to follow Gon out and into the raging storm. He frowns. His body has just moved on his own. Oh, wow… New record…

"Kouta-san?"

The girl blinks again, finally getting a good look at his face. Mentally, she notes how they have the same eye color and how the shape of their faces is almost identical. An image of a familiar little boy who looks just like him flashes through her mind, albeit blurred. The words from her mother's letter come next, seeming to echo in her mind in a soothing voice of a mother she can't remember.

"_... You have a big brother too. He is older than you by two years…"_

Miru's eyes widen in realization, her lips parted, about to call him her brother when the boy releases his grip on her hand.

Kouta narrows his gaze, recognizing the look on her face as realization. Yet before she could call him anything, he releases her hand. He sighs – a bad habit he has developed during this journey. He could feel himself getting old already. No need to wait for another forty years, he could feel the gray hair coming to him on its own. Shaking his head to clear away the stupid imagination, he looks at the blonde. Yeah, definitely his sister. Her blue eyes throws away all doubt he could have had previously.

"… If you get into troubles," he started, snapping the girl out of her reverie, "your friend will be worried."

"… But Gon…"

"The wind is strong and you'll get eaten by the sea."

Immediately after he said that, he feels stupid. That is exactly how one treats a kid! Miru stares at him, forgetting all the thought about the brother things, her expression something between surprise and amusement. She is then reminded of Aunt Mito's tactics to keep them away from sneaking out at night, or to make them go home earlier and not when the sun has set. A smile on her face turns into a giggle. Kouta is treating her like a kid!

"I'll be fine, Kouta-san," she reassured, putting on her best puppy eyes.

The boy groans.

"Fine. Just stay at the sidelines and don't meddle. Got it?"

She giggles again.

"Yes, sir!"

And out she goes.

Kouta sighs, a small smile on his lips. Her stubborn streak is not any better than his. Whatever. Kurapika won't let a child get into big troubles anyway, so there is nothing for him to worry about. Beside, the Gon kid seems reliable. And his sister is going to a 'Hunter Exam'. He can't keep her away from a trouble or two.

Before his eyes are shut again, he thinks back to the past, when his family is still together, stuck with each other as if glued. His sisters argued almost every day, but that grew old the older they got. His mother would scoff when his father made a fool of himself, amusement in her black eyes. The little boy would sit on the woman's lap, listening to her stories about her adventures before his other siblings tugged on her clothes, and they'd all be in her embrace, listening to her soothing voice. His father would smile fondly at the scene then joined them too.

He can still remember everything clearly, not a detail missed. He sighs in content.

'_I've found Miru, mother. And soon, I'll find Mirai too...'_

_"Kou, promise me you'll find your sisters first and protect each other. I'll be going ahead to the finish line."_

"_I will. In return, promise me you and father will stay alive and fine, mother."_

"… _We will."  
_

*****abc*****

The candidates gather around in a circle, amazement in most of their eyes. In the middle of the circle is a boy with tousled black and golden hair. He is sleeping soundly. Somehow, during his rest, he ends up on the floor. And now, watching him are five pairs of eyes, one shaded by his small glasses.

Miru scrutinizes the boy, to be exact, Kouta-san. She tilts her head. There is a possibility. No, he's definitely her big brother, no need to think too far and complicated. Earlier, she asked Kurapika how old he was and the boy said he's fourteen, two years older than her. And his eyes when she's about to call him 'brother', Miru is certain he knows it too – that they are related. Not to mention he treated her like a child, kind of like a worried older sibling. Miru hums. Then, why didn't he say anything?

'_Maybe, I shouldn't say anything too. Kouta-san… brother is reasonable, so he should have his reason. I'll just ask him when…the time is right.'_

Meanwhile, Kurapika is observing his sleeping friend and stealing glances at Miru once in awhile. He has his own theory of course. From how they look like they are related, to how they are miraculously hated by dogs, he can't deny that there is a blood-connection between the two. But for some reasons, Kouta didn't say anything when Miru introduced herself. Could he not have heard it? Well, that's possible. Although… he did smile that one time, and he was sure his eyebrow twitched when he heard the name. So, he knew? Then, why didn't he do anything?

'_Maybe, he wants to wait until the right time?'_

Gon stares and stares. The boy slept through two storms, according to Kurapika. The older one said his ears probably sleep through just like the human himself. The longer Gon stares at Kouta, the more familiar he feels. He blinks. Oh… He smells like Miru and the atmosphere surrounds him feels like the girl's too. Could Kouta be the brother his best friend is searching? He glimpses at the girl. She's looking at Kouta with what he knows as recognition.

'_Nah… I'll leave it at that first. Besides, Miru is the sister here. She should have noticed before me. If she doesn't say a thing, I won't either. Or maybe, I'll just voice it when I think the time is right.'_

"He slept through another storm…" the oldest in the group mumbled, eyes noticing a familiarity between the boy and the blond girl in the room. He frowns. Could they be related? But Miru came with Gon and Kouta with Kurapika. So it's probably a coincidence. He shrugs mentally. If it continues bugging him, he'll just say it out loud when the time comes.

Gon nods at Leorio; slightly awed at Kouta's achievement.

"Say, why aren't we waking him up?" Leorio asked them.

Kurapika frowns. "Well, Kou gets…irritated when someone does so-"

Miru cuts him off. "Seawater! Let's use it!"

The Kuruta sweatdrops. Her playful and mischievous attitudes are definitely the same as the sleeping boy's.

Gon grins at the idea.

Leorio smirks, agreeing.

They all look at the blond boy.

He shakes his head, telling them to do whatever they want. Besides, it is a good pay-back for making him worry over nothing.

*****abc*****

Leorio grin evilly, holding a bucket full of salty water of the sea. They watch in anxiety as he dumps the content onto the unconscious boy. It splashes onto his face and he wakes up groggily, not liking the wake-up-call one bit.

Slowly, Kouta's eyes open and he sits up, his senses returning just as slow. His back cracks painfully in protest. Droplets of salty water fall onto the floor, creating a puddle and drips down his face. He licks his lip, tasting the seawater. On instinct, his hand reaches for his face and wipes away the water before it could get to his eyes. He looks around the wet floor and finds a pail resting beside a pair of feet mockingly.

Understanding hits him and he glares.

Leorio is stifling his laughter. The children are grinning cheekily. Kurapika looks smug and rather proud that he finally settled the score.

Kouta glared before a devious smile appears on his face. He stares ahead and with a crazy look, asks them, "You miss the seawater so much, huh?"

Kurapika is the first to answer him. "Umm… No, in fact, I don't want to be near them for awhile."

Kouta chuckles like a maniac. "Actually… I think all of you will have a memorable experience with seawater soon. Mark my words… **soon.**"

The five of them back away. When he takes a step forward, a girlish scream escapes Leorio, and as if it were a cue, all of them ran for their lives in a single line. Leorio is in front, followed by Kurapika, Gon and Miru.

"Kurapika… YOUR FRIEND IS CRAZY!"

Gon and Miru laugh. "But it's fun!"

Behind them, is the devil incarnate, hunting them with all his might. "I'll make sure you have seawater down your throat one way or another!"

Kurapika chuckles. "We better watch our drinks from now on."

As they run, the blond girl looks back at their hunter. The older boy with two colors for his hair catches her eyes and gives a brotherly smile. Miru stares at his eyes and she smiles back widely. Yeah, she's found her big brother.

~~~Location for the 1st Phase of Exam~~~

Mirai's head nods in sleepiness. They have been doing nothing for hours, and she's getting sleepy due to boredom. Beside her, Killua smiles in amusement. It never ceases to amaze him how quick she gets bored and how long she could sleep, or how she could do it anywhere for that matter. Soon, the girl's head falls onto his right shoulder.

Killua's hand reaches out to place her head properly and gingerly. The girl's soft snore quickly reaches his ears. He chuckles lightly, patting the side of her head before circling his hand around her waist to shoo away participants who are planning on taking her out before the Exam starts. He glares a deathly glare at each of them, causing them to back away.

Once done, he huffs silently.

He'll let her sleep and wake her up when the time is right.

* * *

A.N. : "Yeah, everyone is thinking about the right time now. Haha. Well, that's the third chappie. Not really good with reunion things, but still, tell me what you think about it! Good day!"


	6. Chapter 4

F3l1c3 : "Before you read, I'm telling you that the progress of the story is slow. You may understand after reading some of the chapters, or after this. But, I just feel like taking it slow. So, pardon me! ^ ^

And before we continue, thank you for mystic for your review! I hope you guys enjoy this story too!" 

Disclaimer: I don't own hunter x hunter. Just my oc-s.

* * *

Chap. 4 :

**Are you Thirsty? Go to Tompa (**Alternative title: You Want Salt? Go to Kouta**)**

~~~Location for the 1st Phase of the Exam~~~

Killua sits against the wall, his mind contemplating something which, for him, is crucial. He glances at the girl whose head is resting on his shoulder then at a man who seems to enjoy handing out orange juice from his bag. Killua's eyebrows are knitted in deep thought. He hums in irritation. One part of him tells him to fulfill his basic needs, the other tells him to stay. Someone might come to harm Mirai if he leaves her side.

He groans.

"I'm kind of thirsty…"

"Then go get yourself something to drink, idiot," a voice answered for him, surprising him just a little. Mirai pulls away from him, looking around for anyone with drinks that made the boy thirsty, or reminded him of his need to drink. Her eyes spot one who is approaching them on his own, carrying two cans of orange juice in his hands. She turns to Killua, pointing her index finger at the man.

"That one, right?"

Smirking, the boy stands up, telling her to stay where she is. Mirai groans in annoyance at being treated like a hopeless child. She watches from her position, her sharp ears picking up their voices. She knows eavesdropping is not a good habit, but no one can blame her when her ears are just as trained as an assassin's – or to be more specific, Killua's. As the man's faltering voice reaches her ears, she snorts in amusement. Killua has drunk three of that thing now.

"Thanks, Tompa!" he said cheerfully.

"Uh, yes. You're welcome. By the way, I noticed you have a friend there," he told him, eyes gesturing to where I am.

"Huh? Oh, that's Mirai!"

The girl scoffs.

'_My name is not on sale, Killua…'_

The man – Tompa, as she has learnt – offers his juice to her. Killua thanks him, taking the cans from his hands. And while telling him that he'll give it to her, himself, the boy walks away. Tompa watches them secretly. Although for the two children, he is not being discrete enough. The boy grins at her, giving her a peace sign as he returns to where their place is. Mirai shakes her head with a crooked smile on her face.

"He's going to freak out if nothing happens to you," she started.

Killua hums again, this time in agreement. He opens the lid of the can, and just for the sake of annoying her, offers her the orange juice. Mirai glares at him, not liking his joke. She hits his shoulder, not hard enough to make him spill the drink. The white-haired boy smirks.

"You know I was not trained against poison, unlike you."

"Oh, come on. Aren't you bored? Try to identify whatever he put in here. You are an expert in poison and antidotes, aren't you?"

Blinking, she accepts the can.

Well, it may ease her boredom slightly if the poison or whatever is hard for her to identify. Sniffing the content, she frowns. The smell is faint, too faint for her to ascertain. Sliding her finger on the lid where some of the liquid has splattered on, she licks it as little as possible. The girl sticks her tongue out in disgust.

"Laxative…" she scrunches up her nose.

'_Shouldn't have tasted it. Ugh… my tongue.'_

Killua laughs at the face she's making. During their time in the mansion where he lives, Mirai's training is limited. Because she is not a Zoldyck, they couldn't go that far with her. As a result, she missed the 'get-immune-to-poison' training. But of course, they fill it with another sort of training, which Mirai gave a name just out of spite: 'Let's-befriend-poison' training. Due to that training, her tongue has the highest sensitivity, followed by her nose, then her eyes along with her ears. The last two are results from another sort of training.

Killua snatches the drink from her hand, gulping down the whole content. He pops another, and drinks all of it again. Mirai shudders at the thought of the aftertaste if she has done what he has. The boy smirks at her, settling the cans down beside him with loud clangs.

"Think I should pretend having a stomachache now?" he asked.

Mirai smirks.

"It might be fun to watch him but no," she huffs, " I'm not playing the 'hey, are you ok?' part."

Killua chuckles, and just out of randomness, she too joins in.

~~~Outside the restaurant where the Exam is~~~

Leorio feels shiver running down his spine at the defiant chuckles from the boy behind him. He risks a glance at him. Kouta, the symbol of evil right now, chuckles louder when he catches Leorio's eyes (he is definitely having fun scaring the shit out of the older male). The man turns away abruptly. He swears that short moment has just reduced his life by days. The blonde beside him laughs nervously, along with the two children.

The Kiriko, who is guiding them, has apparently heard the story from the little girl. He smiles in mirth at this group, wondering how a band of misfits could fit so well. Walking straight, he enters the restaurant, ignoring the aura of disappointment from the participants. He mentally laughs, finding their chagrin amusing.

"How would you like it cook?" asked the chef.

The beast smiles and gives the password to the man. They are then led to the back room. Gon sniffs the air, smelling food. A drool escapes Miru as she thought of how she hasn't had proper food. Kouta's stomach, without any warning, growls loudly. Fortunately for them, inside the room, is grilled meat. The hungry ones dash for the chair and stuff the steak into their mouths, poverty is never appreciated.

Once the Kiriko explains some things to Gon, Leorio and Kurapika, he leaves. Gon, representing the group thanks him and shakes his hand gratefully. The rest either smile or grin at him.

~~~Location for the 1st Phase of the Exam~~~

The lift stops moving and they enter the barely lit and crowded room. The participants who have been there before them turn their attention to them. Kurapika and Leorio grunt at the tension. Kouta, Miru and Gon don't pay any heed to it and look around instead, hints of curiosity in their eyes.

While they receive their tags, Kouta notices no.16. He glares at the man as he approaches them, being aware of the snickering that comes from the crowd, as well as the veiled anticipation. The fourteen-year-old boy is all ears when a conversation between no.16 and his friends starts. Gon's question about the number of participant piques his interest.

'_408? According to the statistic Kurapi babbled about, the number that passes is way smaller than that. So, the number of the desperate ones could be high then?'_

His glare at Tompa's hardened.

'_If he is not a desperate, then…'_

A blood-curling scream snaps him out of his thought. Tompa sweats a little as he introduces the man who caused the scream.

"#44, Hisoka, the magician. Last year, he would have passed, but they said he almost killed a judge because he didn't like him. He was disqualified."

'_Hisoka…' _Kouta repeated the name in his mind. _'Father had mentioned him once.'_

_"Hisoka?" _

"_Yeah. Unappreciated acquaintance. He's a psycho. Just get as far as possible from him if you are not a qualified fighter."_

Leorio looks appalled by the veteran's explanation, telling him that Hisoka is still allowed to participate because the judges change every year. Thus, even an evil could become a hunter.

"It's best if you avoid him," warned the man.

The black and golden haired boy frowns. Avoid him? But his father knew this man once, even if they were unappreciated acquaintances. He glances at Hisoka. That man might have some clues about his parents. Shaking his head, he dismisses the thought. He should focus on the Exam for now.

"Let's drink to celebrate our new friendship!" the chubby man said a little too cheerfully.

He gives each of them a can of orange juice. Kouta accepts it blankly, not planning on drinking it any moment. Gon and Miru, the naïve ones, are the first to open it. Before Kurapika and Leorio could drink it, the boy throws up the drink in an almost comical way. Miru sticks out her tongue, muttering something about 'worse than the beer at home'. Kouta throws the unopened drink back to Tompa.

"Save it. I have my own drink."

"Oh, o, ok."

"Tompa!' the green-haired boy called, "your drink tasted weird! I think it's expired!"

The man sweats, stammering at his words, "You think that's… I'm astonished!"

Miru fans herself, hitting her head lightly in an attempt to forget the taste. She groans. "Aunt Mito's wine and beer are even better…"

Hearing this, Kurapika and Leorio, without any hesitation, pour the drink onto the floor. Tompa mentally panics. How? His laxative has no smell or taste at all! How did the kids figure it out? Before his cover could be blown, the man bows down with his hands clasp in a prayer, apologizing to the group. Not buying it, Kouta calls the man from behind him, startling Tompa slightly.

He chucks his flask filled with certain water into the man's mouth.

The saltiness of the content burns his tongue. Tompa gurgles, pulling the flask away as fast as possible, some of the liquid splashes onto his face and shirt. Kouta secretly smirks and apologizes with faked sincerity.

"Sorry, my hand slipped. That water is supposed to be for some experiments," he lied through his teeth.

Tompa forces a chuckle, slightly disgusted that what he has swallowed is some experiment's material. The man tries to stay in his character, telling him that it's alright. Kouta smirks. Yeah, keep saying that. The salt should leave a strong aftertaste, especially with that amount. That's what you get for messing with his sister and friends.

"W, well then, if you would excuse me…" Tompa said, bowing down a little.

Tompa looks around the room, trying to spot the only rookie that drank the juice he gave. When he spots Killua, he smirks. The boy's face on the other hand lights up. He slips pass the participants and asks for more juice, shocking the chubby male. Hesitatingly, Tompa hands him the orange juice; four cans this time. Killua grins, gulping the content in each in one gulp.

"It's too good! Thanks, Tompa!"

The man watches in bewilderment. After drinking all of those, shouldn't the boy be dehydrated, dying or something like that? Even one can is more than enough to make everything over. So why is he doing fine? Walking around like there is not a single problem? Why? Why? He can't get his head around it!

Killua smiles darkly. "Worried?"

"E, eh?"

"Don't worry. I have trained myself against poison, so, it won't affect me."

That being said, he walks away after shoving the empty cans into Tompa's hand without a care. The man fumbles with them before throwing them away. Killua on the other hand, grunts, allowing a frown to creep up his face due to annoyance and concern. An image of a girl with bluish black hair sticking out her tongue as if saying he deserves it pops in his mind. Killua's shoulder slump down.

'… _Where is Mirai?!'_

_*****abc*****_

***A moment ago***

Mirai had fallen asleep again, leaning against his shoulder. However, this time, it was a short nap. Not thirty minutes later, she woke up. The girl yawned, removing herself from his shoulder and stretching her body like a cat. Killua, who was watching, smirked.

"What?" she inquired; not liking the mischievous glint in his eyes.

The boy shrugged casually, unable to resist the urge to tick her off.

"Despite being hated by animals, you stretch like a cat," teased her friend.

It earned him a hateful glare from the girl. She whipped her head away, unable to find a retort to bite back. Killua chuckled in amusement. He stood up, dusted his pants and offered her a hand. Mirai's eyebrow twitched. Despite knowing that he was only joking, it irked her that he likened her to an animal who wished no more than to scratch her to her end. She ignored him, standing up on her own. He sweatdropped.

She was sulking.

Shaking his head, Killua started walking around the dark room, sure that she would follow him because she was bored and being by her own never cured said boredom. If anything, the girl only attracted troubles when she's alone. Mirai glared at his back. Oh, he thought that she would follow him? She clicked her tongue in annoyance. Ho… Let's not follow him then.

And she moved to the other side. When Killua didn't feel her presence, he looked behind him. With an eyebrow raised, he then sighed. Where did she go to? That girl with no sense of direction could get lost easily!

"Tch."

While he was searching for her, Mirai arrived at a place not too far from the elevator which candidates used to come to the underground. Not knowing what to do or where to go, she stood there, watching more people filling in, observing them in a silence. When a group five entered, she blinked.

Mirai watched the bean-shaped-head man handed them their tags. The man in suit received the number 403, the blonde in a tabard was 404, the green-haired boy was 405, the little girl with pale blond hair was 406 and the boy with two colors for his hair and was scowling was 407. She looked at her own tag.

Oh, she was 100. Shrugging, she went back to observing them.

Her eyes landed back on the blond girl. She raised an eyebrow. The feeling that she was looking at herself, albeit with expression, hair color and eyes color, was too…real that it crept her a little. Inhaling deeply, she shoved the negative thought away. As she did so, the image in her flashback came to her.

"… _There's a girl…with blond hair…"_

She remembered telling Killua this too.

'_A girl with blond hair… Could she be…'_

Her black eyes widened.

"… Miru?" the name slipped out of her tongue. It had been years –years since she had called that name and since she recalled it. A sigh of relief accompanied with a smile were all she could manage. Her twin sister was fine. Again and again, she repeated the sentence. And the more she did, the more relief she felt.

Miru, hearing someone called her name, looked around. Mirai moved away from the younger's line of sight, concealing herself behind a participant whose body was huge enough to hide three kids. The bubbly younger twin shrugged. It was probably just her imagination.

Once she was certain Miru was not looking, the girl came out from her hiding. But instead of pale blond locks, she was greeted by a grey shirt. Her eyes trailed up to the owner, seeing a boy with black hair and golden strands. She let out a confused sound, thinking that he was rather familiar. There was just something missing. Frowning, she placed her fingers under her chin.

"…_and a…boy. I'm not sure since the hair is long and messy. Kind of like yours when younger, just longer…"_

She hit her fist on her palm, enlightened. Her mind began working on imagining the boy with longer hair. She silently gasped.

'_So, it's a he! Then my siblings are these two?'_

Her frown returned.

Wasn't this too easy?

Oh, whatever.

After awhile, she contemplated on going back to Killua. The girl looked around. She sweatdropped.

Where did she come from again?

* * *

A.N.: "See? The first phase starts at the next chapter. Give me your opinion, as usual! Good day!"


	7. Chapter 5

F3l1c3 : "This is where the marathon starts. Enjoy!"

Disclaimer: I don't own hunter x hunter. Just my oc-s.

* * *

Chap 5 :

**First Round, the Beginning**

A shrill sound alerts the whole participants waiting in the underground passage. All eyes turn toward the source. A tall man with a moustache stands on a pipe in front of the crowd, informing them that the reception time is over. As he talks, explaining to the candidates about the Hunter Exam, the three siblings couldn't help but think of the same thing that may as well be useless.

'_The mouth… Where is the mouth?!'_

"408 participants for the first round of the Exam," said the man. The crowd begins to move with him on the lead. Before long, the pace quickens. The blond Kuruta is the first to notice and along with the companions he has, they walk faster. Kouta's eyes harden and he glances at his best friend. Kurapika nods, confirming his suspicion.

"… The rhythm is getting faster progressively," told the blonde.

"The ones in the front have all started running!"

Stomping footsteps echo throughout the bare room. Gon and his friends start with a jog, keeping up with ease. The man then introduces himself as the examiner for the first round, Satotz. Mirai runs behind the group of five, trying her best to avoid a white-haired boy, still annoyed at being likened to a cat that always hisses and threatens to scratch her to her end.

"I can't tell you when we'll arrive," Satotz said, "you must be content with following me."

And so, the test that someone assumes as endurance test begins.

*****abc*****

"Hey kid!" protested Leorio, "that's not allowed! That's cheating!"

Killua looks behind him to the shouting man, amused. He slows down slightly. "Why?"

"WHY? Cause it's an endurance test!"

Gon tilts his head. "It's not," he chirped in, "the examiner only told us to follow him."

Kouta rolls his eyes in exaggeration, unable to stand the loud voice of the old man. He pokes Kurapika, and then points at the man in suit. Spinning his fingers around his ear, he sticks out his tongue and tilts his head to the side in a 'dead' motion. Kurapika let out a soundless chuckle.

"Leorio," he called the man, "you should conserve your energy. The principle here is that there are no principles."

The man grumbles, irked.

The white-haired boy stares at the spiky head and the blond girl beside him. "Say, how old are you two?"

Gon and Miru point at themselves. The boy nods, earning a grin from each child. "We're twelve. You?"

Killua blinks. "Just like me…" _'And that missing girl…'_

_*****abc******_

"MISTER?! I'm not that old! I'm from the same generation as you!"

The voice of the self acclaimed teen sounded throughout the room, and silence ensues. Murmurs from the people on front and behind arise as they discuss about Leorio's age. Kouta's jaw falls down and his best friend's eyes widen in pure disbelief. Miru, Gon and Killua gape at the man before a shout of shock escapes them. Mirai, who is hidden by huge bodies slightly behind them frozen and is simply, functioning in autopilot mode.

"ARE YOU SURE?!"

"ARGH! GON, IT'S FINISHED! I'M NEVER TALKING TO YOU AGAIN!"

Kouta and Kurapika share a look and then a nod.

"We should leave…"

Meanwhile, a 'still-have-yet-to-recover' Mirai slowly inches closer to the group of children without her knowing. When the shade of bluish black passes by the ex-assassin, Killua perks up, grabbing her wrist firmly. The girl blinks, finally recovering. She stares at the hand that is preventing her from moving further, her eyes trailing up to the owner.

A smirking Killua is what greets her eyes. She groans.

"Caught 'ya."

*****abc*****

Around four or five hours since the start, Leorio is gasping for breath.

'_I can't believe it! We've run for four or five hours straight! Why hasn't anybody quitted yet?'_

"Are you ok?" asked a concern Gon.

Panting, he gives the young boy a thumbs-up. His eyelids feel heavy, but so does his whole body. When he stops completely, Gon and Miru stop too, Killua and Mirai not far from them. Whipping his head up, he shouts again, eyes burning with determination. "I'M READY TO DO ANYTHING TO BECOME A HUNTER! YES!"

Mirai rubs her ears. Unknown to her, Kouta too is doing the same thing. He curses. Why does the man…or is it boy? Oh, whatever. Why does he love to shout everything out loud?

The green-clad boy uses his fishing rod to pick up the briefcase Leorio has left behind. Killua lets out an amazed sound. "Oh! That's cool, your trick!"

And the boys talk about letting the other try each other's tool. The two girls run in front of them, a grin on the blonde's face while a smile on the other's. They stare at each other for a second, somehow having an idea of what the other is thinking. Miru grins, earning a knowing smile from Mirai.

"Nice to finally meet you, sister."

The girl ruffles her hair. "You too. Though, for now, Mirai is fine."

"Ok!" chimed the girl, nodding vigorously.

*****abc*****

"I WIN!" the two boys exclaimed excitedly as they cross the exit.

The girls shake their heads in unison. Gon and Killua debate over who the winner was. A bewildered Satotz, when asked the topic of their debate, could only point out that they drawed. Mirai sighs, approaching them. If anything, she and her sister were the winners since they were in front since the beginning, leaving the boys to talk to themselves.

"What kind of idea is that?" asked the puzzled boy when Gon suggested they buy each other lunch. He looks at Mirai, looking for answers. She mentally rolls her eyes. As if her face held an answer.

"Just accept it and buy each other lunch like Gon said. No lost, right?"

"Uh-huh!" agreed the other girl.

Huffing, Killua finally consents.

Soon, participants who pass the first phase start forming another crowd in front of the judge. Kurapika and Leorio stand together while Kouta loses them. He is not the only one who loses his group however, as Mirai too, is pushed around until she ends up among people she has no idea of. Spotting Kouta, she walks over to him. The boy notices her and nods in greeting, the barest of smile on their faces.

"Hey, brother."

"Mirai. Don't you think this is too easy?"

She nods. "It is. I can't believe I found the two of you at the same time."

Kouta chuckles a little, a hand reaching out to her head and patting it gingerly. They smile at each other. "It's good to see you again, Mirai."

"… It is, brother. Ah, that's right. I talked with Miru. She has known too."

"Hmm… I thought so. Although, let's not speak a thing until…" he paused, wondering when the right time is.

Mirai puts in her thought.

"What about after the Hunter Exam ends? That way, no one will be distracted and there will be no risk of our group getting sidetracked."

The boy hums.

"Ok. After the exam ends then. Until then, I prefer your calling me Kou or Kouta. No honorifics. I hate that."

She giggles. "Very well, Kou."

"Now then, let's find our lost friends, shall we?"

"Uh-huh."

*****abc*****

Killua glares hard, ignoring the incident in front of him where a man is holding a monkey-man, trying to convince them that Satotz is a fake examiner. All Killua could see is the annoying scene that he happened to come across.

He saw her talking to that boy with multicolor hair. He saw her giggling at him! They acted like they have known each other for years! Too familiar with each other!

'_What the hell?! I have been with her longer!'_

(A.N.: Due to a simple reason, he is the only one who doesn't notice the similarity between Kouta and Mirai. Even the thought that Miru and she may be related won't cross his mind until later in the future.)

Mirai sweatdrops.

Why is he glaring at her like that? She flinches when he stomps over to her, taken aback by the obvious display of irritation or perhaps anger.

"K, Killua?"

He stops near her, towering over the girl with his height. Mirai's breath hitches when their noses almost touch. Killua's glare doesn't become any better. If anything, the twitch of his eyebrow makes it clearer that he is in an even fouler mood than before. The girl braves herself to look into his eyes, leaning back a little.

"Killua?"

The boy takes a deep breath, putting some distance between them while telling himself to calm down. He scolds himself for losing his cool and for overreacting. Two deep breaths later, he looks at her again. The glare suddenly returns along with the annoying scene etched in his brain. He huffs and turns away from her. His friend could only stares at his back, questions floating around her mind.

"Gon! Let's go!" he called to his new friend and they jog away.

Her blond sister comes to her not long later, one eyebrow raised.

"What's that, Mirai?" asked she.

The older girl turns to her with just as much confusion.

'"I don't know"' was her curt reply.

Miru hums and when the crowd begins to grow further from them, she tugs at her sibling's sleeve and they join the long run.

*****abc*****

The four children, two boys and two girls run side by side, managing to stay at the front group. For some reasons Mirai couldn't comprehend, the ex-assassin is creating as much distance as possible between them. He is avoiding her by choosing to run beside Gon who is beside Miru who is beside her. The spiky haired boy looks at his blond friend, silently asking what has transpired before. Miru shrugs, just as clueless.

"Let's go to the head," suggested the white head.

Gon, without looking at him, nods. "Yeah. We should keep an eye on the judge."

"No. What I'm saying is we should stay away from Hisoka. He wants to kill, no doubt he will do it in the fog," the boy told them.

The two naïve children tilt their heads curiously at him. Killua snorts before chuckling loudly at their identical expression. Unable to see anything from her position, Mirai could only wonder.

"You should have seen your faces! If I know it, it is because he and I are of the same race. I can feel it, if you prefer," explained the boy.

At this, Mirai glares into the distance. A retort is at the tip of her tongue, but she decides to swallow it down. _'No. You are different; either from Hisoka or the family.'_

She is snapped out of her reverie when someone pokes her shoulder. She turns around a little, seeing her blond sister covering her ears and gesturing for her to do the same. Without understanding a thing, she follows. It soon comes to her why.

"LEORIO! KURAPIKA! KOUTA! KILLUA SAID IT'S BETTER TO GO TO THE HEAD!"

Poor Killua has no one to warn him. He could only wince at the loud voice.

A reply is shouted all the way from the back. Mirai frowns in displeasure while Killua looks behind where the source is. Miru simply giggles at her best friend and new friend's short conversation.

"IMBECILE! IF WE COULD GO, WE WOULD GO!"

"YOU'LL BE ABLE TO MANAGE IT ON YOUR SIDE, WOULD YOU?" the hyper boy shouted again.

"They don't seem to be so stressed," assumed the white-haired lad.

The blond girl nods, agreeing with him. On instinct, he looks at Mirai but when she catches her gaze, he turns away with a slight glare. The older girl raises an eyebrow but voices out nothing.

*****abc*****

Kurapika stares at his best friend, while his newly made friend is cussing at the thickening fog under his breath.

"What?" he snapped.

He shakes his head. "No, I was just wondering why you are here with us instead of your sisters."

Ah… So, his best friend has figured it out. Kurapika returns his gaze to the front, focusing on the group which is slightly hindered by the thickening fog. He knows his buddy's ability is top notch when slipping pass a crowd and with his speed, it is no question that he could be in the front easily. Kouta glances at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Nah… I'm just too lazy."

'_Or rather… I have a shitty bad feeling right now.'_

He catches a glimpse of the dangerous magician, Hisoka, and his blue eyes harden. One thought keeps on echoing in his mind, a warning to be exact. Avoid him at all cost.

*****abc*****

Kouta chuckles emptily as they run pass a turtle-like creature with tufts of strawberry growing on its shell.

'_A strawberry… I'm never eating one after this.'_

Screams of failed participants reach the front group. Gon looks back in concern. One of the Aomori brothers frowns. "I don't know when, but the group behind us disappeared."

'_I hope they are ok…' _prayed the blonde.

Back to the disappearing group…

"These creatures are crazy!" shouted Kouta in frustration as another explosion happened near him, the smoke making him cough.

There are exploding mushrooms, a crazily gigantic frog, a stupid crow that has nothing better to do but imitate people's voice and watch them die, a bunch of crazy butterflies that find no place to place their larva and decided to put it on some humans…

"Kurapika! We're gonna be like them if we continue as we are!" Kouta shouted to his friend amidst the chaos.

Leorio pants. "Without realizing it, we've just entered into a pure panic movement!"

The Kuruta beside him is not doing any better as sweat pours down his forehead. "The group behind us seems to have been led in different directions."

The trio stop running when screams of pain, worse than what they have heard previously comes from the people in front of them. Cards fly toward their direction. A weaponless Kouta could only evade them while his blond friend utilizes his tantos. Leorio, the more normal one, can't avoid all of them. One of the card embeds on his shoulder. His loud yelp is picked up by Gon.

Hisoka steps out of the fog, revealing himself to the surviving three, actually four. They haven't noticed the other one just yet. Leorio and Kouta grit their teeth.

"What are you doing?!"

'_Damn… It's the psycho after all.'_

"Mirai," Gon called, staring at her in all seriousness.

The girl nods.

"Thanks," he grins before turning to where screams are coming from. Killua's eyes widen and he shouts at the boy. Miru gasps.

"Miru! Stay with them! I'll come back soon!"

"GON!"

* * *

A.N.: "Next is, 'First Round, the End'. As usual, give me your comment! Buh-bye!"

Kouta : "Kurapi… You didn't sign me up for this right?"

Kurapika : "This is no time for a joke, Kou…"

(Insert creepy laughter from the magician Hisoka! Applause guys! The clown has finally entered the stage!)


	8. Chapter 6

F3l1c3 : "Bad internet connection, so the update for chap 5 was slower... well, it's sort of fixed now. So, here you go, the next chap!"

Disclaimer : I don't own hunter x hunter. Just my oc-s.

* * *

Chap 6 :

**First Round, the End  
**

Numelle Marsh, a land where the strong preys on the weak. It is an abstract rule that doesn't need to be voiced out. Those without a single trickery in hands could only be food. Here, the weak could only settle as the lowest inhabitant of the food chain. It is as clear as day that one moment of weakness could cost you your life. The participants of the Exam learnt this the moment they stepped foot onto the green grass of the land.

_Be on guard, and trust no one._(but yourself, of course)

****abc*****

Shuffling feet of the dreaded, steady footsteps stating confidence, and groans of dying humans – those are the audible voices one's ears could pick up. The surroundings that were previously colored with terror and screams are suddenly lapsed in silence. Four living people stand on guard, in a row. The other is approaching with cards in his hands, his steps seeming to be their death countdown.

Hisoka gives a chuckle. The man shuffles the deck of playing cards repeatedly without a glance at them. On the ground where groans of pain could once be heard are the dead participants, each has a card embedded into them, their blood flowing from the injuries onto the green grass, staining it with crimson. The magician – as they've witnessed – has killed without an ounce of hesitation.

Kurapika holds out his tantos, his gaze fixed on the man while his mind is reeling with the danger the assailant brings. Kouta takes a wide step back, his brain screaming for him to get out of there, preferably alive. The other two seems to snap out of it and take a step back too. Leorio grits his teeth in frustration when he remembers something. He mentally hits himself.

'_My weapon is in the briefcase and it's with Gon!'_

Hisoka chuckles again, louder and without a doubt creeps them out more than ever. However, that matter is swiftly shoved aside as there is a more pressing one before them: their lives are at stake. Even though from the start of the Exam it has been clarified that death is going to be a normal cause here… But still… Gritting their teeth, one urgent thought passes their mind.

'_NO WAY ARE WE GOING TO DIE HERE!'_

Hisoka's eyes observe them silently, his gaze lands on the boy with black and golden hair. The jester's blue eyes narrow in recognition before amusement flash through them and the flow of his aura changes slightly. Kouta gulps, sensing the change which he can't comprehend, yet understanding that it brings them no benefit. Sweat dribbles down the Kuruta's forehead. He nudges his best friend with his elbow, catching the different look on Hisoka's face when he saw the boy and silently asking what it is about.

"It's nothing…" Kouta breathed out. "More importantly, Kurapi… You didn't sign me up for this, did you?"

Avoidance of the subject, he notices.

"… This is no time for your jokes, Kouta," replied the blonde sternly.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Leorio shouted suddenly, effectively cutting some of the tension and silence reigning on the five participants.

Kouta clucks his tongue in annoyance at how loud the nineteen-year-old could be even when the situation is this dire, but mentally thanks him for clearing his mind from useless things. Kurapika seems to be thinking just like he is and the blonde stays on a look-out while the younger looks around the clearing for any possible escape.

'_No. Escape in a group is impossible. No matter where we run to, he'll catch up in no time. Damnit! Then, there is no other choice left!'_

"I told myself to stay calm during the first exam," the jester started, "but it's too easy for me, you see~~ and then I got bored so I decided to help the jury by cutting down the number of participants~~ In other words, I'm playing judge~~"

Kouta visibly shudders at the playful yet cold tone. He bites his tongue to prevent a snappy remark from escaping his mouth. _'__You signed up as a participant, __idiot…'_

"Now, there are only four of you left~~" the man sang, earning a confused look from Kouta. The boy looks beside him, then beside Leorio. There, is the fourth…prey who wears a purple hat (is it?).

"… And you are?" asked the two-color-haired boy.

"Pokkle. Listen, at my signal, we all go to different directions," the boy started, "he is too strong. Even an assassin hesitates when he kills, but this man shows none. The gap between his power and ours is as large as that between heaven and earth."

As the boy with purple hat speaks, Kouta can only glares. This is what he wants to avoid. Going to different directions means that you don't know how the lives of your other friends are doing! He mentally grunts. No other choice, is it? Well, they are stuck only with this option. The only way to stay alive is separating. When Pokkle's sign comes, they turn tail and run away.

However, one person is having a completely different thought as he runs. Rather than staying alive, the nagging feeling brought by escaping the jester is stronger. Smiling bitterly, he turns back to where he came from to face Hisoka. Leorio's battle cry reaches the ears of his friends, bringing them to a halt. The Kuruta and his childhood best friend, although they're in different places, voice out the same thought.

"That idiot!"

*****abc*****

"OLD MAN! GON!" Kouta shouted, having arrived first at the clearing. The sight before him, instead of scaring him away, sends him to rage. Hisoka is holding the little boy by his neck, the older of his friend is lying on the ground, his face planted on the grass.

Kouta lets himself be consumed by the fury. It starts as a small bubble in his stomach and swiftly grips his heart. He growls, and the boy lunges at Hisoka.

"LET HIM GO, YOU SHIT OF A CLOWN!"

Hisoka, amused by the display of emotion, simply evades the punch coming to his face. His grip around Gon's neck loosens, allowing the boy to fall onto the green grass.

"What a surprise~~" he said in a sing-song voice, "Just like Reon-chan~~"

Kouta's eyes widen at the name that rolled out of the other's tongue. His head whips up from the half-crouching position he's in, a murderous glare on his face.

"Don't you speak of my mother's name that way…" he growled, "you sick bastard!"

Smiling widely, Hisoka disappears and reappears behind Kouta. Feeling the sharp change in the wind, Kouta jumps away. Hisoka chuckles, nimbly shoots forward to catch up. One of the man's hands is raised up. Kouta sees the attack coming, but his reflex is too slow to evade. However, instead of shutting his eyes for the impact, his eyes turn a shade darker and he glares at the magician with the intent to kill.

The punch never arrives.

"…" Hisoka stares at the tan hand that grips his fist, slightly taken aback by the appearance of another participant. He turns his head a little and sends a look of displeasure at the interrupter.

A girl around seventeen stands to Kouta's right, her hand gripping Hisoka's fist, eyes closed in a cheeky smile. Her green hair flutters from the speed she has used to arrive here in time. Hisoka gives her a forced smile, and the girl tilts her head innocently. Her eyelids open and a dangerous look could be seen in those silver orbs.

"Let's stop it at that, shall we?" she asked, sort of demanded.

"…"

"We need to hurry to the Exam site. It's going to end soon, Hisoka~~"

The man nods with the usual creepy smile. Not deterred, the girl releases her grip and tugs at his arm, pulling him away along with her. For a second, she is the one taking lead, but the next, Hisoka is in front of her, walking to an unconscious Leorio and a stunned Gon. The girl stands there, smiling, but clearly watching the man to keep him from doing anymore things that may give way to another fight.

"Don't worry. I won't kill him. Your companion is qualified," he told Gon. "As a matter of fact, all of you qualified as well. Be a good hunter, nee?"

Before he turns away with Leorio slung on his shoulder, Hisoka quietly mouths, 'just like Reon-chan~' to Kouta. The boy glares at him, snarling, about to attack again. Without paying any heed to them, Hisoka walks away with a chuckle. The girl beside him smiles and waves her hand in a good-bye.

"You'll find your way back on your own, yes?" asked the man.

Gon nods, answering with a curt yes.

Once the man, Leorio and the new girl disappear into the fog, the green-clad boy's legs turn into jelly and he falls down. Kurapika comes not long later, calling out to his two friends. Kouta turns to the blonde, his face back to the normal bored one. He takes in a deep breath to calm himself and to ensure that the Kuruta doesn't find anything out of place, he mocks him, "You're slow, Kurapi…"

Kurapika glares at the smirk that creeps up to the younger's face, unaware of the confused look Gon throws at the fourteen-year-old Kouta. Said-boy shrugs in respond to something Kurapika said, and when his blond best friend is not looking, he raises his hand to his pale lips, indicating to the boy to keep whatever that have occurred a secret.

The little boy opens his mouth to speak, but at the serious look on the elder's face, he decides to settle with a nod and a small smile.

~~~Near the location for the second round~~~

Hisoka continues slicing at every animal that comes at them. The girl beside him walks calmly, without a qualm for her safety.

"Didn't I tell you to follow the examiner, Canon-chan?" the joker said.

She shrugs nonchalantly. "Gittarackur has that covered. I see no problem in that."

Hisoka frowns, not liking this side of her that rebels at his command, no matter how insignificant that command is. Canon notices this when she glances at him, and is abruptly reminded at his ability which is far superior compares to hers right now. She looks down, gulping down the rising fear in her and mutters at him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to follow you…"

The man hums, demanding an explanation. She tilts her head up, wondering how she should explain this without making the man feels like he is looked down or something like that. A disgruntled noise is all he heard as she thinks hard on the matter. Hisoka doesn't comment on it, although the man himself feels slightly impatient at how long the girl is thinking on the matter.

The lass frowns. Ah! Who cares how Hisoka's going to take it! She'll just explain it her way!

"His parents saved my life. That's why I'll be damned if their son is about to get attacked and I let it happen."

"… Hmm? I saved your life too and you're disobeying me now?"

She grunts. She hates playing this game of guilt.

"Sorry. I'll try not to bother you next time while also saving their asses. There, happy?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Hisoka chuckles.

"If you go back on your words, I'm going to punish you~~"

Canon cringes, her face becomes pale instantly. Punishment by his definition means sparring with him until you see your life flashes before you. She sure as hell doesn't want that. She won't last the first thirty minutes at all. And not to mention, she'll be depleted of her energy to move the next three days. She mentally groans.

'_I soo don't want that…'_

And thus, she swallows her pride, and hope against all hope as she stops her step to bow down to apologize – something she prevents from doing and only does when apologizing verbally doesn't work. Hisoka smiles in satisfaction at how he manages to make her do something her pride won't allow.

"…I'm Sorry. It won't happen again."

~~~With Killua and the two girls~~~

*****Flashback*****

Killua skated beside the two girls, assuming a bored look on his face. Ever since Gon left for his friends at the back, the three of them have been in silence, silently praying for the boy's safety. The group of three ran further to the front. Hanzo, the blabber-mouth of a ninja glanced at them from the corner of his eyes, aware of what has happened before. The words in his brain slipped out of his mouth.

"What a stupid boy…"

"… Ah," agreed the white head.

"He's not stupid!" an angry voice shouted in defense, surprising them a little. They looked to the source to see an annoyed Miru, her eyebrows knitted in irritation, partly from their calling her best friend stupid and partly for another, completely different reason. "**Gon is not stupid**! And if he says he'll come back, he will! Gon has never broken a promise!"

After her outburst, the group has returned to silence. Mirai watched her little sister, noting the furrowed eyebrow and the look of concern that were not there before. It seemed to increase the longer they run and the longer the time passed. The bluish black haired girl sighed; patting the younger's head to give some reassurance. No matter how sure she has sounded, there was still an ill feeling inside.

"Gon will be fine," the older sibling said.

Miru looked at her with her hopeful dark blue eyes. She smiled, although it still had uncertainty in it. Mirai sighed again.

"Gon will be fine," Miru repeated, a reassurance for herself. She repeated the sentence over and over again in her head where images of death that she has witnessed crossed. Death… Yes, but deaths that happened in the forest where animals kill based on instinct! Not the death of the person she cares for! Moreover, deaths in the hands of people like Hisoka!

The girl sucked in a deep breath, an attempt to calm herself. No. Her best friend wouldn't die. Nothing bad would happen to him. None. Shutting her eyes, she took in another deep breath, all negative thoughts eliminated. She made a decision that if Gon didn't stay intact, she'd spread the news to his animal friends and see what they'd do to him. Maybe they wouldn't like him just like how animals seemed to dislike her. When she opened her eyes again, all doubt and uncertainty were gone, all left is determination, burning in them.

Everything would turn out fine in the end. For sure.

~~~With Killua and the two girls~~~

*****Present*****

They stand in front of a building – storage is what it seems. Satotz congratulates them for passing the first round as he does a quick count on the number of participants left. Interested to see the result of the next round, the man decides to stay and watch from a safe distance. Besides, knowing one of the next examiners, things may get ugly.

The three of them stand under a tree, slightly away from the crowd of people. Killua is still avoiding Mirai, while Miru is sniffing around – literally – for her friends. The bluish black haired is the first to notice Hisoka, and while she points at the man to them, the three hear the unmistakable voice of a female, grunting beside them.

Not paying any heed to her, the blond girl runs to Leorio who is dropped onto the floor. Mirai follows from behind in a slower pace, kind of curious of the woman she has not noticed until before. Killua walks in front of her, glancing back at the girl. He raises an eyebrow when her pace slows down until she stops. He is about to call out to her when the woman speaks up.

"Damn that Hisoka… Making me bow down like that for his fun! Humph!"

The two of them stiffen. This one knows Hisoka. Suddenly alert, they jump back. The female is wearing a hooded cape, but they could see strands of green hair resting on her shoulders. At the tilt of her head, they know she's noticed them. She stands up, causing the two children to back away. Dusting her cape, she bows at them in greeting before moving away, to where Hisoka is, they assume.

When she is in a distance where they deem as safe, both release a deep breath, not aware that they had been holding it the whole time. Killua huffs and on reflex, turns to her, his mouth opens to ask whether she's alright. But that conversation and the vivid image pop out in his mind again, preventing his action. Mirai frowns as the boy turns away from her, muttering something she can't hear.

Fed up at being ignored without a clear knowledge as to why, she jogs to him and grips his wrist firmly. The boy stops walking, frozen.

"Spill, Killua. What. Is. The. Matter?" she pressed.

The boy glances at her, turning away again when her demanding eyes become a glare.

"…"

Puffing her cheeks in irritation, she pokes his arm with the other hand. He ignores her.

"Killua…" her voice faltered, "did I…do something wrong?"

The ex-assassin's widen his eyes at the telltale of tears. He whips his head around and sure enough, the girl is staring at him, on the verge of crying. He panics, never being good enough to deal with crying females. Most of the females he come into contact hardly cry, that is why he couldn't deal with damsels in distress.

"Oi, oi… Mirai… Hey! No-no-no.. Don't cry! He, hey!"

Hiccupping, she tugs at his sleeve. "T, tell me…why!"

Not given other choice, he sighs, pulling the girl by her shoulders, head hung down. Mirai sniffs, tears streaming down her cheeks. Killua sighs again. His pride is on the line here, is what he feels.

"Well…. You hardly…giggle…like that," he started, peeking up from under his bangs. The girl blinks, her tears stopping instantly and confusion takes place. Crocodile tears…

"Ye…s?"

"Um… that… you were…" Inhaling deeply, his head shoots up. Ok, he's going to blurt out everything in one breath. Mirai cringes at the sudden irritated face he gives her. "Why the hell were you being all girly with that Kouta boy, huh? You like him or something? Well, I'm telling you to drop it because it doesn't suit you at all! Got it? Humph!"

And he walks away, not once turning back. Mirai stands there, even more confused. Annoyance takes place and it slowly turns into anger. However before she could blow up, a soothing and amused voice speaks up beside her, "Oh my… He misunderstood… How funny…"

She stares at the owner. "Kou? You're back. Where are the others?"

He points to her front where Gon, Kurapika and the rest are discussing about the bruise on Leorio's face and his lost of memories. Kouta snickers when the white haired boy's outburst comes to him again. His lips curve up into a smirk, his hand pulling her close to his chest, knowing full well a pair of eyes is glaring at him. He looks back to those dark orbs unwaveringly, enjoying every moment as they narrow in pure dislike.

Kouta snorts at Killua, faking victory on his face.

"He thinks you like me in a romantic way. Ppft."

Mirai gapes as understanding dawns on her, she stares at him again, disbelief coloring her face before a small blush covers her cheeks.

Killua is... No way…

"You've got to be…kidding me…"

And she buries her face in her brother's chest in embarrassment; blood shoots up to her face and stains it with red, covering her ears too. The girl is oblivious to Killua's bulged eyes. To further provoke the boy, Kouta ruffles her head with a chuckle. Mentally, he is having a stomachache from the laughter he is struggling to keep in.

"My… You kids are growing up too fast…" he mumbled, eyes straying to Miru who is hugging Gon in relief, not bothering to keep her tears in. The spiky haired boy, in return, hugs her back, rubbing patting her back and apologizing for worrying her to such extent. Kurapika who notices his presence, raises an eyebrow at the way he is hugging his little sister. Kouta smirks in reply, gesturing to Killua. A small smile of mirth appears on the blonde's face.

*****abc*****

They reunite somewhere in the crowd and Mirai stifles a laughter when she sees Leorio's face. The nineteen-year-old glares at her.

"What? Something wrong with my face?" he snapped.

"… No. It's the usual. All is normal," the girl replied, waving her hand in dismissal.

They snicker silently at this.

"Hey, Gon," called Mirai, "how did you find this place?"

Kouta rolls his eyes. "You'll be surprise if you know how…"

The questioner looks at the green-clad boy curiously. Gon grins in respond, a finger pointing up.

"I followed Leorio's aftershave!"

The girl's black eyes don't blink. Like a robot, she turns away to Kurapika and her brother.

"Is he a dog?"

They chuckle.

"It's an interesting ability, don't you think so?" the Kuruta asked.

His best friend smirks. "Too interesting, I would say."

The cheery atmosphere surrounding them is a huge contrast to the loud rumbles from inside the storage. However, Gon and his friends would be lying if they say they're not enjoying the moment. Well, in reality, Killua is the one who is not having as much fun as the others. But he adapts. Yes, he does. By locking the…obvious jealousy away and laughs along the group. He could think about that…strange dislike towards Kouta and irritation towards Mirai later. Yeah, he has time…

* * *

A.N : "And there you have it! Next chapter will be filled with cooking and cooking. And, surprise! Surprise! The three siblings actually have their own way of cooking! HAHAHAHA! Look forward to it guys… Good day!"


	9. Chapter 7

F3l1c3 : "Here comes the cooking trial. This one is rather rushed, I feel. And of course, because I rushed it too…"

Disclaimer : I don't own hunter x hunter. Just my oc-s.

* * *

Chap 7 :

**Let'****s Play House in the Kitchen!**

"_Gourmet Hunters are those who specialize in cooking. They have a wide knowledge about worldwide cooking, as their title suggested. It is not rare to find a gourmet hunter who is a chef himself. The Hunters look for new flavors, anything that involves a dish, and anything that involves the procedure of cooking itself. "_

_He remembered his mother once told him this. Back then it was early in the morning. His father was beside his mother, half-asleep as he watched them. Kouta made an awed sound in respond._

"… _Such Hunters exist?" he asked, moving away from the bed he's lying on and crawling to his mother's lap. She smiled in amusement at the pure curiosity shown in those big royal blue eyes._

"_Uh-huh. They are like…chefs, just another level above the normal ones."_

_The little boy's mouth opened in an 'o'. He heard his father chuckled beside them, ruffling his hair fondly and smirked teasingly at his mother. The woman raised an eyebrow at her husband._

"_Nah… You are still a walking dictionary. Never changed, huh?"_

_Little Kouta tilted his head at that, wondering what his father meant. His mother ignored that and combed her fingers through the boy's hair affectionately. She turned her attention back to him._

"_You want to be a Gourmet Hunter, Kou-chan?"_

_The boy considered this for a second. It didn't take long for him to make a decision. He pouted at his mother, eyebrows knitted in obvious 'no'._

"_No…" he dragged the word, "… Kitchen too hot…"_

_They laughed at this._

*****abc*****

Kouta mentally groans at that particular memory, questioning himself what has brought it up. He and the rest of his friends are still standing in front of the building, mingling with the crowd. Clear loud groans like that of a beast could be heard from where they are, as if whatever that is inside is directly in front of them. The anxiety from the crowd grows every passing second. Leorio sweats at the atmosphere surrounding them. All participants are preparing for a fight.

However, Kouta has a different feeling. It is an instinct. No more than that. Yet, more than anything, he trusts his instinct, and now it is telling him that this thick tension is going to be a huge disappointment for those whose guards are up because the next exam is something utterly different. And for some reason, he hates that 'different' word. It keeps on bringing that memory in his past back. He prays to whoever is up there that no Gourmet Hunter is involved in the examination.

Twelve at noon, the door (to their dooms) opened, just as the writing above it says.

*****abc*****

Menchi and Buhara, the examiners for the second round, sit before them. Both of their eyes are scanning the crowd of participants before them, a smile of their own on their faces.

"So, are you hungry?" the woman asked her partner out of nowhere.

Buhara looks up, the grumble of his stomach loud as ever as he gives a positive reply.

Menchi's smile at the group widens. "Therefore, the theme of the second trial will be cooking! We are both fine Gourmet Hunters, thus your mission will be to satisfy our appetites!"

Oh, she knows how much it shocks the participants. What she doesn't know is one of them is about to faint as soon as the words 'cooking' and 'Gourmet Hunters' left her mouth.

"You'll start by cooking the plates I ask you for," Buhara started.

"Then those who qualified will have to satisfy me," his partner continued. "You will qualify for the third round if you hear 'it's good'. The test will be over when we are no longer hungry."

Murmurs rise from the crowd; each wondering how much the female judge could eat. And when the giant male opens his mouth to state his order, they all look at him with expectation and anxiety.

Kouta unconsciously rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, letting his skin get as much of the cool forest air as possible. Miru is sporting a dumb look on her face which hasn't disappeared since Menchi announced the exam's theme – there is a nervous smile stuck permanently and her eyes are wide. Mirai on the other hand is licking her own finger, her head tilted with a frown.

Killua sweatdrops; recognizing the gesture. This is not going to go well for Mirai.

"… Roast pork! That's what I like best," Buhara said. "I don't care what kind of pork it is, so long as you chase it in this Biska Woods."

And with a sign from Menchi, the test starts.

*****abc*****

This is the worst.

Killua groans. His nails begged to be sharpened, itching for blood. Beside him, a boy older than him with two colors for his hair snickers uncontrollably, a super smug look on his face.

'_Of all the people…' _the white haired boy cursed. _'Why should I be stuck with HIM?'_

He couldn't hide his amusement at all. He tries to stifle his laughter, but snorts escape his lips. Kouta watches the dark aura around Killua. The ex-assassin whips his head to send him a death glare, but it doesn't work at all. Kouta merely covers his mouth to stop himself from bursting into laughter. Scoffing, Killua tries to ignore. Keyword: try.

When a group of pigs stomps over to them, Killua finds an opportunity to vent his anger. With his sharpened nails, he slaughters all of them mercilessly, using more power than necessary. Kouta who notices how frustrated the younger boy is, finally loses his control. He falls onto the ground, laughing his ass off, kicking his feet in the air like a baby. Killua picks a pig, barely controlling himself from hurling the dead animal to the other boy.

"My God! This is the most hilarious experience!" he managed between laughter.

Killua snaps. He really throws his catch at Kouta. It is easily evaded though.

"Stop laughing! What's the matter with you anyway?!"

Kouta doesn't reply, rolling around on the ground. Sanity has left him – albeit temporarily. One minute turns into two and two into three. Killua, wearing a dark look on his face, approaches him, ready for the kill. When he is close enough, Kouta quickly regains himself; his laughter turns into light chuckle. He stands up, dusting his pants.

"I don't know what problem you have with me because I don't remember doing anything offending. And I'm certain I didn't do anything wrong in the past too since I've never met you and I remember everything and everyone I come across to." _'Actually, I know what problem you have with me, but let's keep the fun longer.'_

"No. We've never met and I just hate you."

Kouta arches an eyebrow, picks up a pig and walks beside the boy. "Not reasonable."

The white-haired rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "None of your business."

Kouta snorts. That ends their conversation.

*****abc*****

One by one, the participants hand their roast pigs to Buhara. Miru calmly walks forward, his twin sister behind. Gon and Killua watch from the sideline, each has a drop of sweat on their foreheads, each has their own worry. Kouta doesn't pay any heed once he is qualified. All he is paying attention to is chilling down. He keeps on fanning himself. Kurapika is beside him, interested by the two younger boys who look rather worried. Leorio is…being Leorio.

"Delicious!" exclaimed Buhara as he consumed the pig. Miru brightens up and runs over to her friends. Gon sighs in relief and the two hi-five each other.

"Succulent!"

At the word, a small creeps to Mirai's face. She nods and like the younger one, runs over to the group waiting for her. The twins grin at each other. Kouta gives a crook smile at the two. Kurapika and Leorio raise an eyebrow at the joy radiating from the girls.

"Hey, Gon," the blond boy called.

"Hm?"

"Miru never cooked?" asked Leorio.

Gon chuckles. "No. She has. It's just that… Miru's cooking is… well, I can't describe it actually."

"Is it bad?" they asked in unison.

"Um… No. Well, it's not bad… but it's not good too. My taste bud doesn't know how to describe it…"

Leorio and Kurapika share a look.

"What about Mirai?" this time, the nineteen-year-old asked first. The question is directed at Killua of course.

"She has cooked."

Silence…

They wait for him to continue. Killua scratches his cheek. "It's just that… She has a bad habit when she cooks… You'll probably see it if we use the kitchen."

His voice becomes smaller at the last sentence as he steals a glance at Mirai who is again, licking her finger as if tasting something and the deep frown on her forehead. Yeah. The habit is kicking in already, and badly.

*****abc*****

The sound of the gong echoed throughout the area. The candidates stare at Buhara in disbelief. The man has just eaten 74 pieces of roast pork by himself. It is impossible. It is supposed to be impossible, right?

"Those hunters are incredible people…" Gon said in admiration.

A bewildered Killua sweatdrops and scratches his cheek. "In a way, yes. But it doesn't make me want to be like them…"

Meanwhile, a blond Kuruta stands still, his face apparent with shock and disbelief. "This is impossible…" he muttered. "He consumed a quantity larger than his own body."

Leorio chuckled emptily. "I don't think we should be worrying about that…"

Mirai and Miru stare at each other, having their own silent conversation – telepathy, if you prefer.

'_How's that possible, Miru?'_

'_I wonder too, sis…'_

'_Will we be like that when we become a Hunter?'_

'… _I hope no. It'll be difficult to run away from animals if we have big stomachs.'_

'… _Yeah. I agree.'_

Kouta yawns. '_When the heck is this round going to end?'_

"ROAST PORK TEST! 74 QUALIFY FOR THE NEXT ROUND!" announced a not-too-happy Menchi. "I'm warning you. It won't be easy with me. I am very cautious when it comes to taste."

Silence. The tension in the air hasn't disappeared, it becomes worse.

All eyes are on the female judge.

"Second round, phase two. Here is my order. I want sushi!"

Silence.

More silence…

"What the hell is sushi?!"

*****abc*****

*Hisoka and friends*

Canon stares ahead, a frown mars her forehead. Hisoka, wearing an air of calmness, smiles at nothing in particular. Gittarackur makes a clacking sound twice.

"Hisoka," the girl called. "What's a sushi?"

The jester smiles at her. He turns to his other companion.

"What's a sushi?" he asked, the smile never disappears from his face.

Gittarackur clacks five times before he turns away. Hisoka hums and looks and Canon again. The girl blinks, waiting for an explanation.

"You heard him~~" sang the man.

A nerve pops on her forehead as she said in a flat tone, "Aa… I did. He **clacked**."

'_Just admit you don't know too! And as if you understood what he said!'_

*****abc*****

*Kouta and siblings*

Miru grunts as she thinks hard, the word sushi spins in her head around and around and around… Her eyes, as if following the spinning, spin too, two streams of hot air puff out her ears.

Kouta messes with his already messy hair, a yawn escapes his lips. Sushi… He's heard it before: a kind of traditional meal and blah, blah, blah. Ah… To be honest, he only remembers the 'traditional' part. The rest has gone down the drain.

Mirai tilts her head, frowning. Sushi… Is it something sweet? No. It can't be. If it's something sweet, surely she must have heard of it before. Sushi… Sushi… Her mind wanders.

'_Oh my… That cloud looks like chocolate ball…'_

*****abc*****

*Gon and friends*

"Ne, Killua," Gon started after he caught a glance of Miru – who is impossible to question right now. "What's sushi?"

The boy takes a minute to think before shrugging. "Not chocolate for sure."

Kurapika takes longer to think. "I think I've heard of it before…"

Leorio grunts. "It sure as hell has nothing to do with a doctor…"

Kouta deadpans. "Yeah. It sure as hell is not an antibiotic. I give up thinking long ago. You guys should too, before you grow white hairs."

Killua feels offended at the 'white hairs' part.

*****abc*****

Menchi then invites them to the kitchen. Kouta scans the room and sighs at the lack of heat-radiating cooking tools. He thanks the God up there. Mirai, on the other hand, has to be pulled inside because she is still looking at the clouds in a daze. Miru too, is in the same predicament because her eyes are still spinning from the thinking.

"Everything is all set up. There's also rice, essential for making sushi," said the judge. "One last thing, I'll only accept handmade sushi."

Leorio grumbles. "She really doesn't give us many clues…"

Still sleepy, Kouta looks around the room, not going to start cooking yet. His eyes spot a victory-looking bald ninja. The boy scowls. He knows what a sushi is. Shaking his head to focus himself, Kouta starts by examining the utensils, much like what jealous-boy and Gon is doing. He picks up a knife and juggles it and then notices his two sisters are doing the same thing. Siblings…

"Handmade sushi…" muttered Leorio.

Kouta, who is beside him, ignores the older boy. His mind utterly concentrated on making this sushi thingy. His concentration is broken by a loud shout.

"FISH?! WHERE CAN WE FIND THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST?!"

'_Fish… Ah, now I remember… A traditional food with vinegar, rice and raw fish…'_

An annoyed Kurapika throws the spatula in his hand at Leorio. It hits him square on his head.

"WHY DON'T YOU SPEAK LOUDER YOU MORON? There must be pools or rivers in a forest!"

And then, before they know it, everyone in the kitchen except for the judges, is gone. All running for fish. Kurapika glares at Leorio and they too begin searching for fish. Kouta stays behind, his ears picking an unpleasant voice saying he should be the only one to know about sushi. He glares and runs to join his friends in the forest. What a jerk.

"DAMN! They are all spying on us!" shouted an unhappy Leorio.

An even unhappier Kurapika grunts. "He's hopeless…"

*****abc*****

Once they return to the kitchen with fish in their hands, Killua's eyes widen. He has expected this, but it still surprises him.

Mirai is chopping down the fish's head like a sadistic killer – those who look at her while she is doing that grimace and look away without a second to spare. Beside her is a pack of something he knows and loves all too well. Killua hesitatingly calls out to her. But of course, the girl is too concentrated to hear him. He sighs. It's useless to remind her that this is a test now.

Miru goes back to juggling the knives in her hand. Her mind doing a question and answer.

Question: Sushi's shape?

Answer: … Um… Small?

Question: Cooking Procedure?

Answer: … Huh? Fish and rice?

Question: Taste?

Answer: … Sweet?

Question: Can you make it?

Answer: No~

The blond girl heaves a sigh, the knives tumbling down from her hands, almost stabbing two random participants' toes. She is definitely failing this one…

After a while, Leorio finishes his own sushi. He walks out with confidence, presenting his meal : Leorio's Special. He grins at Menchi. "Come on! Try it!"

One look at the still living fish covered in rice is all it takes to throw it away. "Is it even edible?!"

A shocked Leorio chastises her about throwing food. As if the lad himself would eat that 'Leorio's Special' sushi. Menchi shoo-s him and with one comment sends him away.

"You fail. Go back to your momma."

Begrudgingly, he obeys. Gon comes next, a wide grin on his face and a tray in his hands. He presents the food to Menchi: A fish wrapped in rice.

"It's as bad as #403!"

Disheartened, Gon walks away. The words 'as bad as #403' keep echoing in his head. "I'm as bad as Leorio…"

Kurapika pats his shoulder. "Don't take it too hard, Gon."

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?!"

Next is Kurapika. After observing the eating tools Menchi is using and all the possible clues they have been given since the start of this phase, he makes his own sushi.

Menchi glares at the food. Abomination… It's abomination. Throwing it away too, she gives a comment that stabs the Kuruta deep in the heart. "Not better than #403!"

"HEY!" a look of realization dawns on Leorio face. "YOU'RE OFFENDING ME!"

Ignoring Leorio's banter, Mirai walks out with a stoic face. Killua watches, and gulps when she hands the tray to the examiner. The older female looks at the shape. It's near perfect. But for some reason, what is this sweet smell? And the color of the rice is… Picking the food with her chopsticks, she eats it then splatters. Killua sighs. He knows this will happen.

"WHY DOES IT TASTE LIKE A CHOCOLATE CAKE?!"

"… I use chocolate balls… I don't know how to shape it so I make it look like a bar of my favorite chocolate and coated the rice with melted choco-"

"I DON'T NEED TO KNOW MORE. YOU FAIL!"

His friends look at him with questions, including Mirai's family. Killua shakes his head. "She has the tendency to make everything sweet. That's why she's only good when making desserts."

"… Alright. Me next," chimed the blond girl.

Holding the tray tightly, Miru skips to where Menchi is. The woman stares at the happy face and aura she exudes and raises an eyebrow, mistaking it for confidence.

"Here, miss."

"… Oh… ok." Menchi is for once – since the start of this exam – lost.

She picks up the food. Normal looking… and plops it into her mouth. Her teeth chews and chews, and it doesn't look like she'll be coming to any conclusion soon. Everyone looks with anticipation.

"I don't know how to judge this. It's…not good…not bad… Dunno."

Buhara arches an eyebrow. "Why not pass her? The shape is almost perfect and it looks normal, right?"

"… Uh… Yeah. Alright then, you pass," she said blankly, like she's hypnotized to say that.

Hanzo has a no-way look on his face. Taking a huge gulp of air, he collects his confidence back. Exhaling, he moves to where the examiners are. At this, the three siblings and all the knowing participants watch the ninja. Hanzo presents a perfect-shaped sushi. But since Menchi is judging by taste too, he fails. Angered, the baldy blurts out the procedure to making a sushi.

They are all enlightened.

*****abc*****

Leorio blinks at the swift chopping sound that comes from his left. He sneaks a glance and his mouth opens in disbelief. The older boy points at Kouta, stammering Kurapika's name. Hearing his name, the blond boy turns to him. With a shrug, he tells Leorio. "When he must do something, no matter what it is, he turns into a pro, despite his own protests and complaints."

Kouta chops the fish into the required shape, and while taking in information from loud comments made by Menchi about the failed dishes, he makes his sushi, careful so as not to make the same mistakes.

"Let's get our own sushi done," Kurapika said, snapping Leorio out of his awe.

*****abc*****

"Done," is the first word he said after all the trial and error from listening to loud Menchi.

Kouta easily slips pass the other participants and arrives in front of the woman. She looks up, slightly surprised by the sudden appearance, so is the participant behind him. Settling the plate on the table gently, he spreads his palm before the dish, his other hand on his hip. Menchi blinks at the sure look on his face.

"Go ahead and try it."

She scrutinizes the sushi. A nice aroma is suddenly wafting in the air. Smirking, Menchi dips the sushi into the sauce and eats it, her eyes closed nonchalantly as she tastes the food. Behind her, Buhara is drooling. When her eyes open again, he smirks.

"Pass!"

"Thanks."

And the boy walks away to the counters. Mirai walks forward, using the chance to present her dish while the others are gaping at the boy.

"Here. I didn't use anything like chocolate this time. Happily finished them up so I couldn't use them. So, it's at least normal."

Nodding, Menchi again, tastes her dish. She hums and gives the girl in front of her another nod. "It's slightly above normal. Pass." Mirai bows and retreats to the back.

The qualified ones wait patiently until the inevitable happens. The female judge informs that she is full and no other besides them pass.

Killua, Gon, Kurapika and Leorio move to join their other friends in the back, observing the situation in silence until Kouta speaks up.

"It's not going to be pretty…"

They nod in agreement.

*****abc*****

"Something's coming here," Gon said.

A whirling sound from above becomes louder and louder, indicating it is right above the building they are in. A voice booms, "THAT'S ONE EXPLANATION! BUT DOES IT JUSTIFY THE SEVERITY?"

Everyone in the room goes outside, eyes wide at a blimp with the sign of the hunter's confederation. From the surface, they see something blurry coming down. Netero – chairman of the Hunter Association, jumps down from the blimp and onto the ground. Participants with wide eyes watch as the man approaches the female Gourmet Hunter.

"Netero-san, president of the commity. The man responsible for the trials," Menchi introduced, answering their unasked question about the old man.

"Responsible, yes. But I'm only an executor. And I'm here to solve this kind of problem. Menchi," he called.

She manages to stammer a yes.

Somewhere in the crowd, Kouta is laughing nervously, moving behind the taller Leorio.

'_His appearance hasn't changed. Why's that?'_

Mirai stares at the old man, along with Miru. Gon looks at them, nudges Killua with his elbow and gestures to the girls.

"What's up?" the white haired asked, not looking at the bluish black haired girl.

Miru hums in thought. "No… It's just that-"

"We feel like we've met him before."

The two look around for their big brother. Understanding what they are doing, Kurapika points to Leorio. The twins peek behind their friend.

"Or have we, Kou?" they asked at the same time.

Kouta chuckles. "Maybe…"

He is thrown off by what comes next.

"BUT I'M SURE KOU-CHAN PASSED, RIGHT? MIRAI-CHAN SHOULD TOO! AND THEN… DID YOU GET HPNOTIZED BY THE STRANGE TASTE OF MIRU-CHAN'S DISH? I'M SURE YOU DID! CAUSE I DID TOO!" the old man's voice echoed loudly in the forest. Netero laughs heartily, stroking his black-tipped beard.

Kouta curses. "That old man did it on purpose!"

His friends and sisters look at him pointedly, even Killua.

"You've got some explanation to do…"

Groaning, Kouta shakes his head at his best friend. "Later… not now."

*****abc*****

They peered down the ravine. Its bottom seems to be invisible. Or maybe it's not there at all. Killua whistles.

After discarding her boots, Menchi hops down with ease. "Here I go."

"It's here," explained Netero, "in mount split-in-half that lives the tarantula eggs." He ignores the death glare directed at him by none other than Kouta. "Tarantula eagles tighten strong lines between both rock faces. And suspend their eggs to protect them from the land creatures."

Menchi comes to the surface not long later, holding an egg in her hand.

Gon and his friends jump down without any complaint. Kouta though, sends Netero another glare before he joins his friends. The old man simply chuckles in his usual 'ho-ho-ho' way.

*****abc*****

"I love eggs~~" Mirai said, chewing the boiled egg. Leorio looks at her real happy face dumbly.

"I've never seen her so happy…"

Killua looks at the bluish black haired girl who has a genuine smile on her face. It feels like everything that has happened between him and the girl is unreal and their strained friendship has returned to normal. Of course, Kouta just has to ruin it by tugging the girl out of his sight. Killua mentally curses the older boy to death.

Kouta pulls Mirai with him and gestures for Miru to come too. Excusing herself from Kurapika and Gon, she jogs over to her older brother and sister. They enter the blimp without anyone's notice.

Netero stands before them with a smug smile on his face.

* * *

A.N : "Not the best chapter, at least I don't think it is. The longest yes… sigh…"


End file.
